An Israeli woman has become the first person in the world to contract Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, better known as the "broken heart syndrome", after ingesting a large amount of wasabi that she confused with avocado.
During a party, the woman in her sixties ate a spoonful of wasabi, a spicy Japanese root vegetable in the same family as mustard and radish. Five minutes later, she began to feel sudden chest pressure and pain in her arms. This lasted several hours, but she decided to stay at the wedding and, finally, the pain began to subside. The next day, however, she felt uncomfortable and weak, so she sought medical attention.
Doctors ruled out heart failure, but an ECG showed dysfunction in her left ventricle. The doctors concluded that she suffered from broken heart syndrome, a left ventricular dysfunction that usually occurs in older women after intense and sudden emotional or physical stress. Broken heart syndrome temporarily affects the heart's ability to pump blood efficiently, causing symptoms similar to those of a heart attack.
Researchers claim that this is the first time that the syndrome is triggered only by food consumption.
Despite being a benign condition, it can have complications, such as pulmonary edema and arrhythmias. The woman had to be treated with ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers. She was discharged and recovered completely in a month.
Source: larazon.es
