24-year-old nearly dies after his bowel bursts due to clogged poop

The doctors emphasized that chronic constipation often goes unreported since people. In this man's case, early detection could have been much better as he could have averted the severe condition.

Aishwarya Iyer | Updated: August 24, 2018 9:07 am

In a bizarre case in London, a 24-year-old was operated on an emergency basis after his bowel burst with leaking faeces. The case took place in Newham University Hospital, London where the man came to the hospital with a complaint of abdominal pain and severe diarrhea. The case was published as a case study in the British Medical Journal, this week. The case study was written by his doctors- Chukwuebuka Anyaegbuna, Alexandros Apostolopoulos and Hitesh Patel.

The 24-year-old reportedly suffered from chronic constipation since the past 4 years. He initially came to the doctor with an abdominal pain. Doctors reportedly noted he had a swollen trunk and ‘quiet bowel sounds’. However, a CT scan of his abdomen revealed that his problem was a major one. The scan showed that his bowel was swollen up to 18 cm in diameter- fully clogged with faeces.

This bizarre medical condition is called as chronic idiopathic megacolon and megarectum – basically, it means his bowels had dilated to more than 6.5cm.

When a person comes up with this complication, he is advised to have oral laxatives and enemas. But the patient, who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder did take laxatives, however, refused to have enema. After two days, his pain worsened. In fact, he started losing consciousness and had an inflamed abdomen.

Another set of tests revealed that his kidneys were failing and his blood was unusually acidic. Another CT scan revealed that he had a tear in his swollen bowel. His abdomen presented with faeces and air. That’s when he was rushed to the hospital for an emergency surgery with all doctors performing a Hartmann procedure.

This procedure involves removing a portion of bowel and attaching a pouch like temporary or permanent colostomy bag. “Patients with this condition report recurrent episodes of constipation, abdominal pain, distension and bloating starting in childhood or adolescence,” the doctors wrote reportedly. “Due to increased intraluminal pressures, these patients are at an increased risk of ulceration of the bowel wall. Hence, there is an increased risk of perforation.”

Image Source: Shutterstock

Published: August 24, 2018 8:52 am | Updated:August 24, 2018 9:07 am

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