Clipping Board » Disease & Prevention ─ Understanding diseases, prevention is better than cure.
Update Date: 2008/07/16 07:38
(Central News Agency Reporter Zhang Ruoting, Toronto, 15th Special Report)
A group of doctors from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, today published a case in the Canadian Medical Association Journal about an Alberta woman who died from massive bleeding after stepping on caterpillars barefoot, hoping to draw the attention of the medical community.
The deceased woman, aged 22, traveled to northeastern Peru last year. During her trip, she stepped on and killed five caterpillars barefoot. Ten days later, she succumbed to poisoning.
The journal article noted that the woman immediately felt a burning pain in her foot after stepping on the caterpillars, which then spread to her thigh. The pain in her foot was particularly severe when walking. The foot pain and subsequent headache gradually subsided over the next twelve hours, so she did not seek medical attention.
However, after returning to Canada, she felt unwell again and went to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton for treatment. Doctors discovered multiple areas of bruising on her legs.
After searching online databases, the doctors found that the woman's symptoms seemed related to caterpillar venom. The venom released by caterpillars can cause massive bleeding in humans. After confirming the cause, the doctors at the University of Alberta Hospital immediately consulted with doctors in Brazil for their opinions.
Canadian doctors arranged for antivenom to be transported from South America to Edmonton to save the poisoned woman, but the antivenom arrived 48 hours later, by which time the woman had unfortunately passed away.
An autopsy revealed that the woman died from multiple organ failure. This occurred three days after hospitalization and ten days after she stepped on the caterpillars barefoot.
The authors of the article stated that as adventure tourism becomes increasingly popular, Canadian doctors should be vigilant about strange diseases contracted by patients during travel. The article also suggested that once doctors identify a patient with a travel-related illness, they should immediately collaborate with experienced physicians to ensure the patient receives the necessary treatment. 970715
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 080716/ 5/ 13b5c. html
Woman Dies from Poisoning after Barefoot Contact with Caterpillar
(Central News Agency Reporter Zhang Ruoting, Toronto, 15th Special Report)
A group of doctors from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, today published a case in the Canadian Medical Association Journal about an Alberta woman who died from massive bleeding after stepping on caterpillars barefoot, hoping to draw the attention of the medical community.
The deceased woman, aged 22, traveled to northeastern Peru last year. During her trip, she stepped on and killed five caterpillars barefoot. Ten days later, she succumbed to poisoning.
The journal article noted that the woman immediately felt a burning pain in her foot after stepping on the caterpillars, which then spread to her thigh. The pain in her foot was particularly severe when walking. The foot pain and subsequent headache gradually subsided over the next twelve hours, so she did not seek medical attention.
However, after returning to Canada, she felt unwell again and went to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton for treatment. Doctors discovered multiple areas of bruising on her legs.
After searching online databases, the doctors found that the woman's symptoms seemed related to caterpillar venom. The venom released by caterpillars can cause massive bleeding in humans. After confirming the cause, the doctors at the University of Alberta Hospital immediately consulted with doctors in Brazil for their opinions.
Canadian doctors arranged for antivenom to be transported from South America to Edmonton to save the poisoned woman, but the antivenom arrived 48 hours later, by which time the woman had unfortunately passed away.
An autopsy revealed that the woman died from multiple organ failure. This occurred three days after hospitalization and ten days after she stepped on the caterpillars barefoot.
The authors of the article stated that as adventure tourism becomes increasingly popular, Canadian doctors should be vigilant about strange diseases contracted by patients during travel. The article also suggested that once doctors identify a patient with a travel-related illness, they should immediately collaborate with experienced physicians to ensure the patient receives the necessary treatment. 970715
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 080716/ 5/ 13b5c. html