Gastro Cases Spiral, Strain Difficult To Treat

Sanjay Patkar (51) complained of body ache one morning earlier this week. By evening, he had a high grade fever and had repeated bouts of diarrhoea. A late night visit to the doctor revealed that he was suffering from acute gastroenteritis.

Several Mumbaikars, like Patkar, have been contracting gastroenteritis in the past few weeks, report city doctors.

BMC figures show that 2,604 Mumbaikars were admitted to various civic-run hospital owing to gastroenteritis in July alone- around 36% more than what the city had witnessed in the same period last year.

Patient numbers touched 214 in just the first four days of August.

Dr Hemant Thacker, who consults at Jaslok and Breach Candy hospitals, said acute cases of gastroenteritis are becoming difficult to treat even with antibiotics. "Bacteria mutate and become more stubborn with each passing year. By the time patients come to a hospital-around two-three days since the onset of the disease-they have already taken a masala of medication, including antibiotics. Moreover, we too have to try a combination of two and sometimes three antibiotics to treat the patient," he said.

Considering that the patients keep vomiting, doctors said oral medication is of little help. To top it, loss of fluids as well as electrolytes prompt intravenous (IV) treatment.

Dr Hozie Kapadia from the Indian Medical Association said, "We have been seeing severe diarrhoea cases lately. During monsoon, infection spreads because of the viruses, and because people eat outside food and water contamination. Whenever the cases are severe and the patient cannot stop vomiting, they have to be sent to a nursing home for intravenous treatment."

Dr Khusrav Bajan, intensivist at Hinduja Hospital, pointed to a scarier trend. "A few are coming in with gastroenteritis accompanied with pneumonia."

Explaining further, he said the patients first show symptoms of acute diarrhoea, stomachcramps and vomiting. Even before these symptoms can be treated, the virus attacks the respiratory system.

"Several patients also had to be shifted to intensive care for renal failure as a result of gastroenteritis. The toxins that cause gastroenteritis also cause problems with kidneys. And this happens within one or two days of the onset of the disease," said Bajan.

It is thus imperative, doctors said, that Mumbaikars take precautions this time of the year.