Al Dhuhaibat Zahra K, Zarzour Talal
Emergency Medicine, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, ARE.
Emergency Medicine, National Health Service, London, GBR.
Cureus. 2023 Jan 10;15(1):e33627. doi: 10.7759/cureus.33627. eCollection 2023 Jan.
Tetrodotoxin is a potent neurotoxin that is found in the ovaries and liver of pufferfish. This lethal toxin is heat stable and does not destroy by cooking that is why precaution should be taken when eating pufferfish. A 60-year-old male presented to the ED after eating pufferfish complaining of perioral and hand numbness, gait disturbance, and generalized body weakness. This presentation is due to a tetrodotoxin found in and not limited to the pufferfish he ingested. Despite having pufferfish with his family, he was the sole person to have symptoms because, unlike the other family members, he ate from the liver part of the fish. The patient was admitted for observation, received supportive care, and underwent multiple investigations that most came to be normal. He improved gradually and was discharged after staying for three nights in the hospital. Symptoms after eating the toxic parts of a pufferfish may progress to paralysis, and respiratory failure, and may lead to death. It is not common to have such fish eaten in the United Arab Emirates due to its limited availability.
河豚毒素是一种强效神经毒素，存在于河豚的卵巢和肝脏中。这种致命毒素对热稳定，烹饪不会将其破坏，这就是食用河豚时应采取预防措施的原因。一名60岁男性在食用河豚后前往急诊室，主诉口周和手部麻木、步态不稳及全身乏力。这种表现是由于河豚（不仅限于他所食用的河豚）中含有的河豚毒素所致。尽管他与家人一起食用了河豚，但他是唯一出现症状的人，因为与其他家庭成员不同，他吃了鱼的肝脏部分。患者入院观察，接受支持治疗，并进行了多项检查，大多数检查结果正常。他逐渐好转，住院三晚后出院。食用河豚有毒部位后的症状可能发展为瘫痪和呼吸衰竭，并可能导致死亡。由于其供应有限，在阿拉伯联合酋长国食用这种鱼并不常见。
