A man ate a huge burger very quickly and ended up in hospital. (Photo credit: novanym 95 / 500px via Getty Images)
Patient: A 30-year-old male from Singapore.
Symptoms: The patient presented to the emergency department complaining of abdominal bloating and pain.
What happened next: When doctors examined the man, they noticed that his abdomen was swollen and distended. They ordered an X-ray, but the scan showed no air pockets in the abdomen, which would indicate a bowel perforation.
Blood tests revealed elevated levels of immune cells known as white blood cells, as well as elevated levels of creatinine and amylase. Creatinine is a waste product produced by energy production in muscles, and amylase is an enzyme that helps digest carbohydrates. An increase in white blood cells can be caused by infection, but illness or sudden stress can also cause them to multiply.
Doctors then performed a CT scan of the patient's abdomen and pelvis, which showed that his stomach and upper small intestine were “significantly distended by food debris,” the doctors wrote in the report. The patient's intestines were displaced to the left, causing the pancreas to be flattened.
Diagnosis: The patient reported that eight hours before coming to the emergency room, he had participated in a speed-eating contest. During the event, he managed to eat a 7-pound burger in just half an hour. Shortly after, the man began vomiting, regurgitating undigested food but no blood or bile. At the hospital, doctors concluded that the symptoms were caused by the man eating the large burger too quickly, not giving his stomach time to digest.
Treatment: The patient was transferred to a general ward. Doctors tried to reduce the pressure in the stomach with a tube inserted through the nose, which could help get rid of excess gas in the digestive tract. However, the abdomen remained swollen and the pain did not subside.
Doctors considered performing a gastrostomy, a surgical procedure to remove undigested food through the abdominal wall. However, the patient soon began producing gas, indicating that his digestive system was beginning to cope with the large mass of the chewed burger. Blood tests showed that the white blood cell count in his body was beginning to return to normal. Eventually, the patient had a bowel movement. Five days later, his symptoms had completely resolved and he was discharged.
What makes the case unique: A fully dilated adult stomach can hold up to 50 ounces (1.5 liters) without causing much discomfort, though this can vary from person to person. People who regularly participate in competitive eating “train” their stomachs to hold more than this average by repeatedly and rapidly stretching the stomach walls “during binge eating episodes,” the doctors wrote in their report.
But frequent overeating can carry serious health risks, doctors warned. These risks can include damage to the stomach lining or weakening of the muscles responsible for moving food into the lower intestines; pneumonia from food particles entering the lungs; and, in the long term, obesity, according to the report.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
TOPICS Diagnostic Dilemma
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