The Jackfruit Conundrum: Case Series Studying Subacute Small Bowel Obstruction Secondary to Jackfruit Ingestion and its Management

Food is not evil, gluttony is. As the saying goes, too much of anything is harmful. Jackfruits, a favourite seasonal fruit in India was found to be a culprit in causing (subacute) small bowel intestinal obstruction in patients who had earlier undergone abdominal surgeries. Considered to be a lesser known cause of bowel obstruction, (phyto) bezoars act by mechanically obstructing the path of digested food through the alimentary tract. In addition to the biological and chemical properties of phytobezoars, additional factors such as delayed gastric emptying/ gastric immotility, post operative status, comorbidities and sedentary lifestyle played a causal role. This study was conducted to show the causal relationship between jackfruit ingestion by patients who had previously undergone abdominal surgeries. The study was conducted during the first wave of COVID-19 in India. Demographic details along with management of each case was studied in a tertiary health care setting in suburban India.