Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike: भूख हड़ताल कितने दिन तक झेल सकता है शरीर? जानिए कब सेहत को खतरा, क्या कहते हैं डॉक्टर – Sonam Wangchuk How long one can survive on hunger strike Expert opinion Tvisa
More than two weeks have passed since social activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Due to this his weight has reduced by 8.2 kg. Blood pressure has also reduced. In such a situation, concern about his health has increased. Now the question arises that for how many days can a human being live without food? Can the body survive for a long time just by drinking water? What changes occur inside the body due to continuous hunger? When can it become fatal?
If a person remains on hunger strike for a long time, it affects almost every part of the body. However, it also depends on how the person who is starving has conditioned his body. Does he have the practice of fasting or not? How much and what effect staying hungry for a long time will have on the body depends a lot on the person’s age, weight and pre-existing diseases.
What happens to the body during a hunger strike?
To know about this Till today. He has talked to Professor Dr. Subhash Giri, Director, Department of Medicine, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi and Dr. Ajit Jain, Associate Professor, Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Delhi Government..
Dr. Subhash explains that every person’s body needs energy to perform its functions. The body first takes energy from carbohydrates obtained from food. But when food stops available, the body first uses the glycogen stored in the liver. It works for 24 hours. After this it ends. If you do not eat food after 24 hours, then the body starts using fat for energy. During this time, if food is available then it starts using muscles and tissues for energy.
When muscles are used for energy, the person’s weight continuously decreases and muscles become weak, but this depends on whether the person is drinking only water during the hunger strike or is taking any other liquid. If the person is drinking only water then all these processes will start in the body, but if the person is taking juice, coconut water or ORS then the nutrition present in them gives energy. Then the situation is not that serious, but if the person is dependent only on water then the condition may worsen after a few weeks.
How long can the body survive without eating food?
Dr. Subhash explains that if a person completely gives up both food and water, his condition starts becoming serious within a week. He may start having dehydration, low blood pressure and problems in functioning of many organs. Which can cause death. At the same time, if the person keeps drinking clean water and the body gets adequate hydration, then a healthy person can live for 3 months or more. However, this is not a fixed time limit. It can be both more than this and much less than this.
When the condition of the body becomes serious after the hunger strike depends on the body condition of each person, his weight and other medical conditions. If a person already has any serious disease or infection, he can die during the hunger strike within a month.
How health starts deteriorating due to being on hunger strike
Regarding this, Dr. Ajit Jain explains that due to being hungry for a long time, the body does not get glucose. Due to this the sugar level may fall. If it goes below 40 Mg/dl then it is dangerous. Due to not eating food, there is deficiency of sodium in the body. Due to this the brain does not get energy. Due to which the blood pressure starts decreasing suddenly. If it falls below (90/60 mmHg) then it is considered a medical emergency. This requires immediate treatment. If proper treatment is not given, the risk of death may increase.
Dr. Jain says that if any person is on a hunger strike, then he should remain under the regular supervision of doctors only after 15 days, so that if the condition worsens, he can get immediate medical help.
What does the study say about deaths due to hunger strike?
Journal Science Direct A study has been published. In this, three deaths due to hunger strike have been mentioned. In this, a person on 173rd day of hunger strike was brought from jail to hospital in critical condition due to low BP. He died about an hour after admission. The second case reached the hospital on the 165th day, he had low blood pressure (90/60 mmHg). His condition did not improve and he later died. The third case was admitted to the hospital on the 180th day. He had low blood pressure (90/55 mmHg). Despite treatment, his life could not be saved. In all three cases, low blood pressure in the body due to prolonged hunger strike was the cause of death. In all three cases, death occurred after 5 months of hunger strike.
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