Contracting a dangerous strain of Escherichia coli, or E.Coli, bacterium may increase your risk of blood pressure and heart problems years later, a new Canadian research has claimed.
The study, involving almost 2,000 people who fell ill during an outbreak of E.Coli O157, found that the risk of heart attack among them has doubled.
It is estimated that E.Coli O157 infections cause up to 120,000 gastroenteric illnesses annually in the US alone, resulting in over 2,000 hospitalisations and 60 deaths.
Researchers from Lawson Health Research Institute and the University of Western Ontario assessed the risk for renal impairment, hypertension and cardiovascular disease within eight years of gastroenteritis from drinking contaminated water, the BBC reported.
The research team followed up people affected when the municipal water system in Walkerton in Ontario became contaminated in May 2000.
—PTI