Citation

Furukawa S, Takaya A, Nakagawa T, Sakaguchi I, Nishi K. J. Forensic Leg. Med. 2011; 18(2): 91-92.

Affiliation

Department of Legal Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Setatsukinowa, Otsu City, Shiga 520-2192, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jflm.2010.11.011

PMID

21315305

Abstract

We report a case of fatal salt poisoning in a 55-year-old woman who suffered from depression and drank a large quantity of shoyu (Japanese soy sauce). She presented with the highest ever documented serum sodium level of 187 mmol/L. This was associated with symptoms of cerebral damage which developed within hours after drinking the soy sauce. She died as a result of massive pulmonary edema, despite intensive medical treatment. Viewing the results of clinical and postmortem investigations together, her death could clearly be attributed to drinking a large quantity of soy sauce.

Language: en