An Israeli woman landed in the hospital and diagnosed with the "broken heart syndrome" after mistaking wasabi for the avocado at a wedding.
'Avocado Dip' Turns Out To Be Wasabi Paste
Doctors said that the woman, who was in her late 60's, ate large amounts of what she thought was avocado dip only to realize it was wasabi paste.
Just a few minutes after eating wasabi, the woman felt a sudden pressure on her chest radiating to her arms. The sensation lasted a few hours before it started to subside, but her ordeal continued.
She felt weakness and general discomfort the following day, so she decided to seek medical attention. She was eventually diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as "broken heart syndrome."
Broken Heart Syndrome
The condition, which has similar symptoms with heart attack, usually occurs after sudden intense emotional or physical stress. The death of a loved one, for instance, can cause broken heart syndrome.
Patients who have the condition may experience chest pains, shortness of breath, and electrocardiography changes.
Doctors, who reported about it in the BMJ Case Reports, said that it is the first known case of the condition caused by consuming wasabi.
"We describe a case of a 60-year-old woman that presented to the emergency department with chest pain after she attended a wedding and ate a large amount of wasabi, assuming it to be an avocado," Alona Finkel-Oron, from the Soroka University Medical Center in Beer Sheva, Israel, and colleagues wrote in the case report published on Sept. 20.
"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of takotsubo cardiomyopathy triggered by wasabi consumption."
The woman is fortunately back in good health a month after the diagnosis. She is now recovering after undergoing treatment at a cardiac center.
Is It Safe To Consume Wasabi?
There is no reason to stop serving or consuming wasabi. Studies even suggest that the lime green paste may have health benefits.
Doctors think that the patient developed the condition due to the extraordinary amount of wasabi she consumed, which caused physically stressful side effects.
