Fans have been concerned lately about the sudden, severe symptoms that actress Kate Beckinsale has been experiencing.
The 50-year-old British star has caused a stir on social media over the past year due to several unexplained health issues, including spending weeks in hospital and losing so much weight that fans called her “too thin.”
This week, however, the Van Helsing star revealed what caused her health to deteriorate: grief.
Beckinsale said on Instagram that in the weeks following her stepfather’s death and her mother’s diagnosis with stage four cancer, she spent six weeks in the hospital “because The grief had burned a hole in my esophagus, causing me to vomit massive amounts of blood.
She added that she found it “really hard” to eat. Although Beckinsale’s health problems appear serious, doctors told DailyMail.com that the “brain is capable of causing profound changes” in the body, including severe gastrointestinal upset and weight loss.
Kate Beckinsale, 50, revealed she spent six weeks in hospital after suffering a ruptured esophagus and vomiting blood
And keeping your sense of humor, even when you’re dropping your butt, could be an “antidote to stress.”
Fans criticized Beckinsale for looking “too thin,” citing that she has difficulty eating due to her ruptured esophagus and feelings of sadness
Beckinsale first alerted fans earlier this year when she posted now-deleted clips of herself dancing on Instagram, prompting several people to express concern about the actress’s shrinking figure.
Beckinsale revealed that she had been in the hospital for six weeks, “due to profuse vomiting of blood” from a Mallory Weiss tear, a tear in the inner lining of the esophagus, the tube that connects the throat to the stomach.
This injury usually occurs where the esophagus and stomach meet, as a result of severe vomiting, heavy lifting, prolonged coughing, and trauma to the chest or abdomen.
Dr David D Clarke, an internist, gastroenterologist and chairman of the Psychophysiological Disorders Association, told DailyMail.com that stress and severe grief ‘can delay stomach emptying to the point where vomiting occurs.’
‘Vomiting can cause a tear in the lower esophagus, which can then start to bleed.’
Most Mallory Weiss tears are between 0.75 and 1.5 inches long, or the width of a dime or two, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Vomiting blood is the most common symptom, occurring in more than 85 percent of patients.
Most patients heal on their own, but some tears require surgery.
Beckinsale’s vomiting can be due to a number of factors. For example, prolonged crying or displaying other intense emotions can trigger the body’s stress response.
Dr. Randy Brazie, a board-certified psychiatrist and co-author of ‘The Steadfast Leader,’ told DailyMail.com that strong emotions like sadness can activate the vagus nerve, which regulates processes like digestion.
“This can lead to a significant increase in stomach acid production and intestinal muscle activity,” he said.
The actress recently shared a photo of herself wearing a ‘Tummy Troubles Survivor T-shirt’, hinting at stomach and intestinal issues
Beckinsale also said she uses humor to cope with grief, including flashing her bare butt in a London department store
He noted that increased acid levels can not only lead to vomiting, but also to ulcers that can cause a tear in the esophagus.
Eating with a tear in the esophagus can be dangerous because the perforation allows food to leak into the chest, causing breathing problems. This may have left Beckinsale unable to eat or restricted through a feeding tube, resulting in weight loss.
Around the time of her stepfather’s death in January, insiders also revealed that Beckinsale was barely eating due to emotional stress.
‘Stress, sadness and depression can also lead to a loss of appetite, which in some cases can lead to weight loss. If stomach emptying is delayed, this can cause a person to feel full after eating less than usual and to feel sick or vomit,’ says Dr Clarke.
‘All of this would lead to reduced food consumption, which could then lead to weight loss.’
Beckinsale revealed on social media earlier this year that “stress, shock and grief” led to a flare-up of her mast cell disease, which Dr. Clarke said was likely Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).
MCAS is a disease in which the mast cells (blood cells responsible for allergic reactions) release a number of chemicals that cause allergy symptoms.
Symptoms include itchy skin or a red, raised rash, feeling light-headed or fainting, and swelling of the throat, mouth, and tongue, which may cause difficulty breathing.
According to Dr. Clarke, while it is “possible” that grief exacerbated Beckinsale’s alleged MCAS, most of the physical symptoms of grief and emotional distress are caused by the brain rather than mast cells.