Unexpected Turns of Eating Leftovers in the Teenager’s Life

Eating leftovers is dangerous. This statement is not a lie as a 19-year-old college student from the New England area of ​​the United States had a bad case of food poisoning and had to amputate both legs after tasting the same thing as leftovers. This strange incident has come to light after a video related to it went viral recently. On February 16, the clip was released on YouTube by the 'Chubbyemu' channel run by licensed toxicologist Dr. Bernard Hsu, and it has now got nearly a million hits.

The incident has been reported in the journal New England Journal of Medicine and is currently gaining massive traction.

The student was admitted into the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Massachusetts General Hospital due to "shock, multiple organ failure, and rashes" on eating leftovers of a meal in a restaurant. On having eaten the meal, he felt abdominal pain and nausea. He then started vomiting and experienced chills, chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness, neck stiffness, and blurry vision, as per the sources said.

His skin also developed a purple hue. The person's temperature was at 105 degrees and the heart rate was 166 beats per minute. His breathing worsened and he was oxygenized.

The purple hue showed a sign of bacteremia, that is, a bacterial infection in the bloodstream. This would indicate a medical emergency.

Laboratory tests showed that the person had "Neisseria meningitidis." According to Dr. Bernard, "when bacteria are present in the blood, the entire body’s blood vessels dilate, dropping the blood pressure preventing oxygen from getting to the organs." He then faced many complications and had to amputate parts of all 10 fingers below the knee, due to the necrosis in the arms, legs, and gangrene.

The doctors learned that the patient had received only the first dose of the meningococcal vaccine before middle school. However, he did not receive the recommended booster dose of the vaccine.

The bacteria of the disease often affect the cortex and spinal cord of the brain, leading to inflammation. In addition to the above, some symptoms may include stiff neck, altered mood, photophobia, and joint pain.

The disease is often caused by bacteria and viruses that infect the body. It primarily affects children and teenagers. Infections of the skin, respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal tract are common. Bacteria can attack the nervous system, making it more life-threatening.

According to the journal, the New England student "had recovered relatively well" considering the severity of the infection.

Medical practitioners said that the leftover food caused the deadly symptoms.

WebMD stated that the leftover food should be stored at room temperature to avoid bacterial infections. The Mayo Clinic also said that food can only be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days before being thrown away.

Source-Medindia