Food poisoning can lead to other adverse health effects, some of which are long-term and serious. For instance, new studies have been revealing that Salmonella and campylobacter can lead to very long-term issues with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), says Reuters. When someone contracts a diarrheal sickness as a result of Salmonella or campylobacter, their odds […]
<"https://www.yourlawyer.com/practice_areas/food_poisoning">Food poisoning can lead to other adverse health effects, some of which are long-term and serious. For instance, new studies have been revealing that Salmonella and campylobacter can lead to very long-term issues with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), says Reuters.
When someone contracts a diarrheal sickness as a result of Salmonella or campylobacter, their odds of developing IBD increase as does the risk for being ill with the disease for 15 or more years following the initial infections, said Reuters. The risk is significantly higher when the person has been hospitalized for the illness, according Dr. Henrik Nielsen from Aarhaus University Hospital in Aalborg, Denmark, said Reuters, which noted that Dr. Nielsen and his colleagues reported in the recent issue of the journal Gastroenterology.
In June we wrote that a study found that people who have suffered from Salmonella or Campylobacter infections are three times likelier to develop (IBD). The risk increased to five-fold if the patient was hospitalized close to the illness, noted Reuters. More than 600,000 Americans have some kind of IBD every year.
IBD encompasses a group of disorders, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, which cause the intestines to become inflamed. IBD can cause abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and bleeding from the intestines. According to WebMD previously, genetics, environment, diet, abnormal blood vessels, infections, immune-system overreaction, and psychological factors all have been cited as possible causes of IBD.
The team looked at IBD risks in 13,148 patients with documented cases of gastroenteritis that was caused by Salmonella or Campylobacter compared with 26,216 healthy people over seven and a-half years, said Reuters. The team found that first-time IBD diagnosis was more prevalent in gastroenteritis patients—107 or 1.2 percent—versus the healthy control group (at 73, or 0.5 percent), especially during the first year, reported Reuters.
Salmonella and campylobacter are among the most common pathogens associated with food poisoning and, it seems, IBD can be listed as a possible long-term consequence of these food borne infections. Unfortunately, it is not the only one. Victims of both infections are at risk of developing a form of reactive arthritis called Reiter’s Syndrome. Reiter’s Syndrome typically affects large weight-bearing joints such as the knees and the lower back. Campylobacter infections are also associated with the development of Guillain-Barré Syndrome. This potentially paralyzing illness can leave victims with mild to severe neurological damage.
Other food borne illnesses can also have long-term consequences, as well. E. coli victims sometimes require kidney transplants and may also have scarred intestines that cause lasting digestive difficulty. Even E. coli patients who supposedly recovered can experience long-term health problems later on. For instance, it is estimated that 10 percent of E. coli sufferers develop a life-threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, in which their kidneys and other organs fail.
