A recent study, published this month in the British Medical Journal online, indicates that people who have been infected with e.coli bacteria are at greater risk of kidney problems, heart disease and high blood pressure in later years. The study involved 1,977 adults in Ontario, Canada who had been infected with the bacteria in May 2000 via a contaminated water supply.
Eight years later, researchers evaluated the health of the adults who became either mildly or severely ill after drinking the tainted water. They found that out of 1,067 of the adults who experienced severe gastroenteritis, the likelihood of developing high blood pressure, kidney problems and heart problems increased 1.3%, 3.4% and 2.1% respectively.
E. coli is one of the family of bacteria that is commonly found in all animals, including humans, and in general it is not only harmless but actually helpful in many ways. However, the strain of e.coli now known as 0157:H7 produces a toxin that causes major damage to the cells lining the intestinal walls, which in turn causes internal bleeding.
This bacterial strain is easily transmitted from one organism to another, in the case of humans through contact with contaminated surfaces such as unwashed vegetables, water that contains the bacteria and meat that is not fully cooked, especially ground meat such as hamburger. The danger of severe illness is greater in young children and the elderly.
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