Bangungot
It was with great sadness that we received the news of the passing of a friend’s husband yesterday. Gina, whose adobo and chocolate dish we once featured, has had to experience what every wife fears to know. Her husband, Ali, has gone on from this world, leaving her and their 2 young children behind. The cause of death, bangungot.
Bangungot is a well-documented yet unexplained medical condition that causes the sudden death of young men in their sleep. It is rarely seen in Western countries, but is well-known in Southeast Asia. It was suspected in the death of popular young actor Rico Yan in 2002.
Characterized by the victim’s unintelligible moaning and inability to move during sleep, bangungot is also known as Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome (SUDS), Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, Brugada syndrome, lai tai in Thailand, and hukuri in Japan. Local lore says that it is caused by going to sleep too soon after a particularly heavy meal.
Because it kills in the dark of the night, the condition has been shrouded in mystery. It is only lately that medical science has ventured to explain the physiological cause of bangungot. Among the possible causes are undetected heart irregularities, extreme and sudden electrolyte imbalances, and acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis. It is the latter which has been linked most often to cases in the Philippines. Whatever the medical cause, the suddenness of its onset and its catastrophic results have left many families in shock and grief even as dawn breaks on a new day.
I have known Gina since my college days. Although I have not seen her in years, the internet has allowed us to keep in touch in the joys that life has brought us, and now even in its sorrows. My friend, please know that we are with you in this difficult time. My prayer is that you will be surrounded with comfort and strength from those who love you. Ali is in God’s hands. Continue to trust the Lord to watch over you and the little ones, even now.
Tags: acute pancreatitis, bangungot, brugada syndrome, cultural icons of the philippines, culture, destination, filipina, filipina soul, Filipino, filipinos, hukuri, lai tai, philippine culture, Philippine-tourism, Philippines, pinoy, places to see, sudden adult death, tourism, tourist spots, tours, tradition, travel, travel guideRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Health and Welfare, People, Personal Experiences
August 15th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome (called bangungot in the Philippines, lai tai in Thailand, and hukuri in Japan) is sudden unexpected death of adolescents and adults during sleep. Bangungot is rarely observed in the Western world, and appears to occur more commonly among young men in East and Southeast Asian countries. The term originated from the Tagalog word meaning “nightmare.” The root of this word comes from two Tagalog words bangon, which means to rise or to be awake and ungul which means to moan.[citation needed] While experiencing this, the person is aware that he is dreaming but feels like there is something that stops him from moving and awaking.[citation needed]
SUDS has been cloaked in superstition. In Thailand it is particularly believed to be linked to eating rice cakes. Filipinos believe ingesting high levels of carbohydrates just before sleeping causes bangungot.
It has only been recently that the scientific world has begun to understand this syndrome. Victims of bangungot have not been found to have any organic heart diseases or structural heart problems.
However, cardiac activity during SUDS episodes indicates irregular heart rhythms and ventricular fibrillation. The victim survives this episode if the heart’s rhythm goes back to normal. Older folks in the Philippines recommend trying wiggling the big toe while experiencing this to snap back.
Ongoing genetic studies by Spanish electrophysiologist Dr. Josep Brugada Terradellas show that SUDS results from mutations in the cardiac sodium channel gene. This means that it is a chromosomal problem, which is why it runs in families. Thus, doctors say that families who have kin that have suffered from or died of SUDS must see a heart specialist.
In the Philippines, most cases of bangungot have been linked with Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis, whereas in Thailand and Laos, bangungot (or in their term, Sudden Adult Death Syndrome) is caused by the Brugada syndrome.[1]
Bangungot is also depicted in the Philippines as a mythological creature called batibat. This hag-like creature sits on the victim’s face so as to immobilize and suffocate him