It also fosters spasms of certain blood vessels so as to increase the amount of blood flowing to vital organs such as the brain and heart-but this reduces blood flow to the colon. Getting too dehydrated increases your risk of suffering a colon stroke because it thickens the blood. Recommended: Keep your cholesterol under control by getting regular exercise…following a healthful, cholesterol-lowering diet (click here for details) …and taking cholesterol-lowering medication if it is needed. This can lead to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries), which can disrupt blood flow throughout the body-including to the colon. (Click here for more on preventing constipation.) If this is not sufficient to produce a bowel movement at least once every two days, ask your doctor whether any of the medications or supplements you take could be causing your constipation, and discuss nonconstipating alternatives. Self-defense: Include plenty of high-fiber fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains in your diet. Frequent bouts of constipation may increase colon pressure, which in turn decreases blood flow, Dr. To tilt the odds in your favor, take steps to guard against… These include migraine medications, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), chemotherapy drugs, estrogen and some heart medications.įortunately, several important colon stroke risk factors are under your control, Dr. Medications that constrict blood vessels or otherwise alter blood flow can reduce the amount of blood that reaches the colon. An operation involving the aorta (the body’s largest artery) or the blood vessels that supply the bowel may have resulted in damage that affects blood flow to the colon. A hernia, tumor or scar tissue in the colon can impede blood flow. Blood flow to the colon can be compromised by conditions such as vascular disease, congestive heart failure, heart rhythm disorders, blood-clotting problems, sickle cell anemia or diabetes. For unknown reasons, IBS-which is characterized by cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation-appears to triple the risk for colon stroke. Though people of both sexes do get colon strokes, the condition occurs somewhat more often among women. Risk generally increases with age, with about 90% of colon strokes occurring after age 60. Some of these risk factors are not under your control-but simply knowing that you have them can motivate you to keep a watchful eye out for possible symptoms of a colon stroke. Though no one knows exactly why one person might suffer a colon stroke while another person doesn’t, various factors are known to increase risk. Why is that so dangerous? Because even though most colon strokes are not life-threatening, about 10% to 15% of patients develop bowel perforation (a hole in the bowel) or gangrene (tissue death caused by insufficient blood supply)-conditions that require immediate surgery if the patient is to survive. Brandt, MD, a professor in the department of medicine, gastroenterology and liver diseases at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, who has conducted extensive research on colon stroke. “The patient may end up being treated for the wrong disease, while the real problem goes undetected,” said Lawrence J. Problem: These symptoms often are confused with those of other digestive disorders, including gastroenteritis, a broad term for irritation or infection of the digestive tract (including food poisoning)… infectious colitis (colon inflammation caused by infection) and Crohn’s disease (an inflammatory bowel disease).