Does Fasting in Ramadan Increase the Risk of Developing Sialoadenitis?

Background: Ramadan is a holy month within the Islamic lunar calendar, where all Muslims are required to fast (abstain from food and drink) during the daytime (from sunrise to sunset) for the entire month. Acute sialadenitis is a bacterial inflamma­tion of the salivary gland. Stasis of salivary flow secondary to dehydration allows bacterial migration into the gland parenchyma. Because of the connection between dehydration and sialadenitis the authors hypothesized that the frequency of ER admissions due to sialadenitis rises during the month of Ramadan.

Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study using medical records of 109 Muslim patients admitted through the emergency room (ER) with a diagnosis of sialadenitis over a 5-year period at the Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya and St. Vincent de Paul Hospital, Nazareth – Israel.

Results: During the month of Ramadan the admission of Muslims through the emergency room (ER) with a diagnosis of sialadenitis was more than doubled compared to other months of the year – difference that was found to be statistically significant (p=0.001). Additionally, the Leukocytes quantitly on lab test at admission was significantly higher at Ramadan patients (p=0.008). Most importantly, lab tests suggest dehydration (BUN/Creatinine rate) were significantly higher in Ramadan patients (p=0.014).

Conclusion: There is evidence that fasting and subsequent dehydration in Ramadan may increase the risk for developing sialadenitis compared to non-fasting months.