Islamabad
Complications of gastroenteritis and dehydration may lead to life-threatening conditions among fasting patients and according to health experts, these should not be taken as non-serious.
Patients suffering from severe diarrhoea, while fasting, need extra care as the problem may lead to acute kidney injury, a life-threatening condition. Also such patients may face electrolytes imbalance in the body. The fasting individuals may suffer from loss of fluids. These conditions can cause a number of complications particularly among children, elderly people and pregnant women.
Almost all healthcare facilities both in public and private sectors in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are receiving heavy influx of patients with gastroenteritis along with dehydration and a good number of patients are reaching hospitals with life-threatening complications, said Deputy Director at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Dr. Waseem Ahmed Khawaja while talking to ‘The News’.
It is important that severe gastroenteritis and shock is generally started with vomiting and loose motions leading to a state of drowsiness among patients who become unable to pass urine and the condition may cause death.
Dr. Khawaja said it is need of the time to make public aware of the fact that gastro is dangerous particularly at extremes of ages and in pregnant women particularly when they are under fast. Pregnant women having persistent vomiting or loose motions should avoid fasting in the holy month of Ramazan especially in the first three months of pregnancy (first trimester) and the last three months of pregnancy (third trimester), he said.
It is observed that the number of cases of dehydration and gastroenteritis is on the rise in the region since the advent of Ramazan mainly because majority of people do not take the health threats serious nor give proper attention to diet to avoid the problems, he said.
He said the number of total patients at outpatient departments of the hospitals has decreased as happened every year in Ramazan, the ratio of patients with gastro and dehydration is on the rise.
People should be made aware of the fact that by following good dietary habits, use of clean water for drinking and consumption of safe food prepared in hygienic conditions can avoid gastroenteritis and a number of other infections in Ramazan, he said.
Gastroenteritis in general is water and food borne infections and its main symptoms include vomiting, fever, severe diarrhoea with dehydration and lowering of blood pressure.
Dr. Khawaja said that individuals opting for fast should avoid loss of fluids and electrolytes particularly when suffering from complaints of diarrhea and vomiting. One should break open the fast immediately after developing symptoms of gastro to avoid complications, he said.
He suggested that patients suffering from diarrhoea should take plenty of fluids and ORS for at least three days. It is recommended for everyone to avoid food prepared in unhygienic conditions and use boiled water for drinking to avoid gastroenteritis, he said.