Eating Your Vegetables May Not Always Be Beneficial!

Background: Cucurbitaceae is a wide range of vegetable with various species used in different parts of world. The most commonly used species include bottle gourds, Zucchini, etc. The bitter variants of these vegetables contain cucurbitacin, a toxin which can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding and necrosis.

Case report: A 50-year-old premorbidly healthy gentleman had consumed one glass of bottle gourd juice for help in weight loss. He presented 3 hours later with giddiness and syncope with severe shock with systolic blood pressure of 50 mm Hg. Electrocardiogram showed no significant ST-T changes. He developed hematemesis and profuse hematochezia approximately 6 hours after consumption. Patients albumin dropped from normal levels to 0.9 gm/dL within 12 hours of consumption. Patient was intubated, transfused multiple blood products in view of persistent bleeding and was continued on inotropic support. Upper GI endoscopy and sigmoidoscopy revealed extensive necrosis of gastrointestinal tract with rapid exudation of fluid into lumen. Patient succumbed to the disease within 24 hours of presentation despite all efforts.

The authors declare no financial support or competing interests.

Informed patient consent was obtained prior to submission

Publication History

Article published online:
22 April 2024