Mesenteric Ischaemia

Mesenteric ischaemia is poor blood circulation in the vessels supplying blood to organs in your abdomen i.e.stomach, liver, spleen, kidney and intestine. This results in weakness, malnutrition. Acute mesenteric ischaemia is a life-threatening condition with up to 80% mortality if timely intervention is not done.

Symptoms

Sudden, Severe Stomach Pain

ACUTE mesenteric ischemia can cause sudden, severe stomach pain associated with nausea/vomiting, abdominal distension

Severe Stomach Pain After Eating

CHRONIC mesenteric ischemia often causes severe stomach pain 15–60 minutes after eating. The pain may last for as long as 2 hours and, unfortunately, tends to recur with every meal. Patients may have nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or flatulence and develop an abhorrence to food leading to weight loss.

Causes

ACUTE mesenteric ischemia is commonly caused by a blood clot, which travels to one of the mesenteric arteries and suddenly blocks blood flow. These clots often originate in the heart and are more common among patients with an irregular heartbeat or heart disease.

CHRONIC mesenteric ischemia is frequently due to atherosclerosis(hardening of the arteries), which slows the amount of blood flowing through the arteries which eventually can become fully blocked. This happens more commonly in smokers.

Diagnosis

A CT angiography scan is the test of choice. It can assess the disease of the blood vessels and the damage to the abdominal organs if any resulting from the blockage of blood flow.

Treatments

In Acute Cases…

• Treatment is usually an emergency procedure since severe intestinal damage can occur rapidly.
• Clot-dissolving medication can be injected into a blood vessel.
• If CT shows evidence of intestinal damage, surgery may be needed to remove the clot and restore blood flow along with surgery to remove damaged portions of the intestine.

In Chronic Cases…

• Balloon angioplasty and stenting the first-line approach.
• If angioplasty and stenting can not be done, bypass surgery with an artificial graft to establish blood flow is recommended.

Health Tips

• Heart-healthy diet.
• Stop smoking
• Exercise regularly.
• Drink adequate water
• Manage chronic medical conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney failure and heart disease.