Chinese woman swallows raw fish gallbladder, hoping to relieve headache, ends up in ICU
Fish gallbladder is ‘even more toxic than arsenic’; a few grams are capable of poisoning an individual, larger amounts are potentially fatal
A woman from eastern China ended up in the intensive care unit (ICU) hours after swallowing a raw fish gallbladder, believing it would cure her headache.
The 50-year-old woman, surnamed Liu, from Jiangsu province, adhered to the folk remedy that claimed raw fish gallbladders could clear heat, detoxify the body, and alleviate a persistent migraine that had been troubling her.
On the morning of December 14, Liu bought a 2.5kg grass carp at the market, extracted the gallbladder at home, and swallowed it raw.
Just two hours later, she began experiencing vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach pain. Her family quickly took her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with fish gallbladder poisoning and acute hepatic failure.
She was promptly transferred to the ICU at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University.
The medical team provided her with plasma exchange treatment and continuous renal replacement therapy, a slow blood purification method.
Five days later, Liu’s condition improved, and she was discharged from the hospital.
The case was reported by the hospital on January 7.