Bangungot

Acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis (more commonly known to Filipinos as "Bangungot") is an acute inflammation of the pancreas accompanied by the formation of necrotic areas and hemorrhage into the substance of the gland; clinically marked by sudden severe abdominal pain, nausea, fever, and leukocytosis; areas of fat necrosis are present on the surface of the pancreas and in the omentum because of the action of the escaped pancreatic enzyme (trypsin and lipase).

Definition Source: WrongDiagnosis.Com

Some e-mail about the silent killer - bangungot have already spread, which gives an insight about how it can be avoided.

Information from a US-based pharmacist. It seems only MALES are afflicted with this.

IMPORTANT

Never go thirsty when going to bed and be sure you have plenty of water during your 8-hour rest.

Bangungot has killed a male nurse of UERMMH. It is sudden death in adults which cause them to die while sleeping. Many theories have been put forward as its cause. However, here is an article which sheds some light to the cause of this malady.

Article from THE PHILIPPINE STAR

The reported cause of actor Rico Yan's death is nightmare or bangungot. Medical investigators in China, Japan and several Asian countries who performed autopsies on persons who died from "acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis" found out that the majority of them had eaten NOODLES as their supper. This was a startling finding.

However, it wasn't the noodles that caused nightmares but DEHYDRATION. Imbibing even with a few drinks of alcohol or just eating noodles immediately before bedtime compound this on an empty stomach will trigger an electrolyte imbalance and other factors that causes a person to dehydrate or lose water.

It is therefore advisable for a person to take several glasses of water before bedtime if he had a few or several alcoholic drinks. Avoid eating noodles before bedtime, but if you can not avoid it, allow at least two hours for the body to digest the noodles before hitting the sack and drink plenty of water.

The most important thing is, never go thirsty when going to bed and be sure you have plenty of water during your 8-hour rest.