Excessive meat-eating lands hundreds in hospitals

Scores of people landed in hospitals of the provincial metropolis due to overeating of meat during Eid holidays. According to sources in the major hospitals, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) and Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) have received hundreds of patients for consuming excessive meat during Eidul Azha.
"We have received more than 800 patients with complaints of stomach pains, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, dehydration, food poisoning and omitting during last 48 hours, which was apparently caused due to overeating of red meat during Eid-ul-Azha told Dr Asif, a Medical Officer at Emergency Department LRH. However, he said most of the cases were not serious nature and patients including men, women and children were later discharged after provision of treatment.
He said improperly cooking, overeating and less drinking of water and other liquid materials during eating can cause serious health problems besides putting extra pressure on digestive system.
"A person normally eats half-a-plate of meat on a normal day and then on Eid days stuffs himself with about four plates of meat in one day, such persons were definitely going to upset their stomachs," he cautioned. He advised that people should avoid eating more than 70 grams of meat a day, because overeating can cause various problems, such as shooting up blood pressure and rise in cholesterol and uric acid etc in the body.
Dr Asif told that one of the patients was brought to LRH with a bone stuck in his throat after attempting to eat without chewing it, adding the bone was later successfully removed. He said some people also use animal fat as oil, which is mostly unhygienic, adding vegetable oil should be used for cooking and people should avoid eating all the dishes, made of meat on regular basis.
The medical clinics in certain neighbourhood are also remained closed during Eid holidays so patients visit mainstream hospitals that sometimes caused overcrowding in the emergency wards of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar. He appealed people to come with patient with attendant as extra people can disrupt smooth process of treatment in emergency wards.