Dyspepsia and E. coli
“Dyspepsia” is defined as “painful, difficult, or disturbed digestion, which may be accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, heartburn, bloating, and stomach discomfort.”
Many of our foodborne illness clients sickened by E. coli have these complaints long after the passing of their acute illness. Is there a relationship between these symptoms and the initial illness? Emerging medical studies offer strong evidence of just such a connection.
In 2000 there was a massive water-borne E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Walkerton, Ontario, Canada. The only good thing to come of it was the unprecedented opportunity to study the long-terms effects on those individuals exposed to bacterial dysentery. One such recent study, “Prevalence of Uninvestigated Dyspepsia 8 Years After a Large Waterborne Outbreak of Bacterial Dysentery: A Cohort Study,” published in the journal, Gastroenterology, concluded that “this 8-year study has demonstrated a greater than 2-fold increase in the prevalence of dyspepsia in subjects exposed to acute gastroenteritis compared with nonexposed individuals, suggesting that acute enteric infections have the ability to trigger symptoms that affect the upper, as well as the lower GI tract, with long-lasting consequences.”
Dyspepsia is a descriptive term that often surfaces in western literature. Derived from Greek dys-, "difficult, bad" + pepsis, "digestion," dyspeptics have painful symptoms as referenced in this quote from Seneca, the first century Roman philosopher:
“Pain, scorned by yonder gout-ridden wretch, endured by yonder dyspeptic in the midst of his dainties, borne bravely by the girl in travail. Slight thou art, if I can bear thee, short thou art if I cannot bear thee!”
Emerging medical literature is showing that dyspepsia, decreased kidney function, high blood pressure and allied medical problems are long-term consequences of E. coli O157:H7 even in those individuals who were previously thought to have made a full recovery.
Attorney Fred Pritzker represents E. coli victims and their families nationwide. To contact Fred, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.
