72-Year-Old Man’s Skin Turns Red After ‘Eating Undercooked Shiitake Mushrooms’ – News18

Though there exists food that can be eaten raw, it is often warned undercooked meals can invite a plethora of health issues. This 72-year-old man in Switzerland learned the lesson the hard way. In a case study published by The New England Journal Of Medicine, health experts revealed how the unidentified elderly arrived at the emergency department of the Geneva Hospital. He reportedly had a “2-day history of an itchy rash on his back.” Such was his deteriorating condition that the itching sensation had already impaired his ability to sleep. The doctor quickly began to speed up his diagnosis and that is when they learned he had eaten a meal of shiitake mushrooms two days before the onset of the rash.

“On physical examination, edematous, flagellate plaques and linear patches were present across the patient’s entire back and upper buttocks,” read the case study. Doctors eventually diagnosed him with a condition namely shiitake dermatitis, which occurs after consuming undercooked or raw shiitake mushrooms.

What exactly is Shiitake dermatitis?

According to a report by Dermatology Advisor, the symptoms of the condition include dark red or almost purple-like bumps formed all over the body. The victims often end up getting a vigorous itching sensation over the rash. An affected individual can begin to develop red marks between 24-48 hours of eating undercooked or raw food and it lasts for about 10 days. Notably, it isn’t an allergy but a toxic reaction of the body that is believed to have been triggered by blood vessels. It so happens that blood vessels in the body begin to dilate and also leak inflammatory compounds into the skin.

The beginning of the toxic reaction sees the formation of red patches on the body, in some cases, it may not hurt or itch during the initial stages. However, soon the patches take the form of blisters that harden making the skin itchy. The red patches turn purple and persist to appear on the body for a few days before the condition subsides.

What happened to the 72-year-old patient?

The published case study reveals he was advised by health experts to properly cook shiitake mushrooms before consumption. “Topical glucocorticoids and oral antihistamines were given for treatment of the symptoms,” the study read. During his two-week follow-up check, the residual welts of the rash or postinflammatory hyperpigmentation were still visible on his body, however, the itchiness had completely subsided.