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Case
of the deadly santol
seeds
Posted: 7:37 PM
(Manila Time) | September 07, 2001
Inquirer News Service
Complications
The resulting perforation will result in a spillage
of feces into the abdominal cavity causing
peritonitis, which is a serious infection of the
lining of the abdomen and the entire abdominal
cavity. If surgery is not done promptly, the
infection can get into the bloodstream known as
septicemia, which may lead to death.
Intestinal obstruction and perforation caused by
swallowed santol seeds require
resection-anastomosis surgery which consists of
cutting out and discarding the damaged parts of the
intestines and reconnecting the cut ends together.
Occasionally, the surgeon may do a colostomy, which
is an opening in the abdominal wall that serves as
the temporary anus of the patient where the feces
will pass.
Based on the OMMC experience, complications
including deaths due to swallowed santol
seeds are more frequent in the older age group. The
age range of patients in the OMMC re-port was 45 to
65 years. "This is most likely due to the higher
incidence of abnormalities in the intestines in the
older age group compared to the younger
population," explains Dr. Joson.
The OMMC surgical department has started
disseminating information about the dangers of
swallowing santol seeds. Although the
complications are not as common in the young as in
the middle age or older age groups, the outpatient
department of the hospital makes an effort to
forewarn both the young and the old. "As we know,
habits are hard to break when it’s deeply instilled
in the individual at a young age; one grows old
with the habit," says Dr. Joson.
According to Dr. Joson, the debilitation and deaths
associated with swallowing santol seeds have
reached such a magnitude to consider it a public
health problem. The OMMC surgical department
cautions that this problem carries a risk of
premature death, even in an otherwise healthy
individual. "We hope to significantly reduce the
occurrence of these premature deaths by educating
the public," Dr. Joson stresses.
Mameng was fortunate to survive her brush with
death caused by swallowing santol seeds. She
was discharged from the hospital one week following
her emergency surgery. She still gets an occasional
craving for santol, but recalling the sad
episode she just had instantly suppresses it. The
craving can probably wait until the next santol
season, Mameng tells herself. Will she swallow
the seeds again? She replies with an emphatic
"Never."
(Medical Files is based on the case histories
of actual patients. Some information have been
changed to hide the patient’s identity. Apart from
the medical information, it stresses the
socio-psychological impact of the disease on the
patient. Dr. Castillo is a past president of the
Philippine Heart Association/Philippine College of
Cardiology. For comments or inquiries, e-mail
raffymd@I-manila.com.ph.)
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