A new study shows that people who got sick during Walkerton E,Coli water crisis more than a decade ago, continue to be haunted by a legacy of health problems.
The new study shows those who suffered severe gastronenteritis from the E.Coli-tainted water have been plagued since with more kidney problems, hypertension and cardiovascular events than those who did not become ill or only mildly ill.
The report’s findings were published in the prestigious British Medical Journal.
A co-author of the study says it has implications for the five to 12 thousand Canadians who become ill from E. coli each year.
Doctor William Clark says such patients should have their blood pressure checked annually as well as kidney functions and cardiac risk factors assessed from time to time because they are silent and can creep up on people.
He says 85 per cent of kidney function is lost before any symptoms become apparent.
