In a harrowing tale of culinary indulgence gone wrong, a 72-year-old man found himself in a hospital bed, suffering from a painful skin condition brought on by an unexpected source—undercooked mushrooms. His ordeal was recently documented in a case study published in "The New England Journal Of Medicine," shedding light on the dangers of neglecting proper mushroom preparation.
The unnamed epicurean had, in his quest for gastronomic adventure, prepared and consumed a meal featuring shiitake mushrooms, renowned for their earthy and meaty flavour, a staple in many East Asian cuisines.
Two days after indulging in his feast, he began to experience an unwelcome visitor— an "itchy, linear rash" that traversed his entire back, causing him such torment that he struggled to sleep, as reported by LiveScience.
Alarmed by this development, he promptly sought medical attention.
The diagnosis was clear: "shiitake dermatitis," a condition resulting from the consumption of raw or undercooked mushrooms. Although it was first recorded in Japan in 1977, it primarily plagues Asia, where shiitakes are a dietary staple, but cases have also emerged in Europe, North America, and South America.
This rash-inducing calamity is attributed to lentinan, a carbohydrate found in shiitakes. When ingested, it triggers chemical responses akin to a low-grade infection, reminiscent of a scenario from a post-apocalyptic video game. In addition to the unsightly welts on the skin, sufferers may also experience swelling, fever, diarrhoea, tingling of the lips, hands, or feet, and difficulty swallowing.
Fortunately, there is a straightforward solution to evade this unsettling condition: cooking shiitake mushrooms thoroughly at temperatures exceeding 145 degrees Celsius (293 degrees Fahrenheit), as confirmed by Eglė Janušonytė, a co-author of the case and a dermatology resident at Geneva University Hospitals in Switzerland.
The patient's road to recovery involved a course of steroids and antihistamines to alleviate his itching, and over time, the rash gradually faded away. The medical professionals attending to him didn't just provide treatment; they also imparted a vital lesson to this mushroom enthusiast: "fully cook shiitake mushrooms in the future."
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