Contaminated meat and kidney problems

Children who eat undercooked beef can become infected with a bug that can cause permanent kidney problems, new research shows. Undercooked beef and other food items can be contaminated with a bacteria called E. coli. Eating contaminated food causes infection with the microbe, resulting in diarrhoea and other debilitating symptoms such as vomiting, cramps, and fever. About one in ten children develop a serious disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is known to be a most common cause of acute kidney failure in children. Although this type of failure often resolves, findings from the new study indicate that many children who survive HUS still have long-term kidney problems. Researchers from the London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, Canada, reviewed 49 studies that did long-term follow-up of nearly 3,500 children with HUS. The patients ranged in age from 1 month to 18 years and the average follow-up period was just over 4 years.

Death or permanent kidney disease occurred in about 12 percent of patients. In addition, 25 percent of HUS survivors demonstrated long-term kidney problems. The more severe the initial illness, the greater was the risk of long-term problems. For example, children whose illness involved serious conditions like coma or seizures were at increased risk of dying or having permanent kidney disease. Also, requirement dialysis for the initial illness was tied to a worse long-term outlook. HUS can be prevented and also managed appropriately. Patients infected with the bacteria could be given infusions of antibodies that neutralise Shiga toxin (the chemical produced by E. coli that causes HUS) in the blood and reduce its ability to cause HUS.

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