Citation

Rathi PM, Patel PS. J. Assoc. Physicians India 2017; 65(10): 87-88.

Affiliation

Resident Gastroenterologist, Department of Medical Gastroenterology, Bombay Hospital and Institute of Medical Sciences, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Association of Physicians of India)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

29319257

Abstract

We present the case of a young woman who presented to us with multiple episodes of vomiting, followed by hematemesis and abdominal pain after consuming bottle gourd juice. The patient was resuscitated and stabilized with fluids, proton pump inhibitors and antiemetics and discharged in stable condition. As a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, bottle gourd contains toxic tetracyclic triterpenoid compounds called cucurbitacins which are responsible for the bitter taste and toxicity. There is no known antidote for this toxicity, and clinicians treat such patients symptomatically only.

© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.

Language: en