Starfruit

[Dianejt]

So if a dialysis paitent was to eat starfruit what happens to the body?

[cariad]

I think it depends on how uremic the person is. The treatment for star fruit intoxication is emergency, aggressive dialysis. If left untreated, it can lead to death rather quickly. It causes neurological disturbances and has sent people into comas. Here's an abstract that explains it better, from the American Journal of Kidney Disease:

Abstract
Clinical outcome of dialysis patients after eating star fruit (Averrhoa carambola ) varies, but it may be fatal. In the past 10 years, 20 such patients were treated in our hospital when they developed clinical symptoms after eating the fruit or drinking star fruit juice. Their initial presentations included sudden-onset limb numbness, muscle weakness, intractable hiccups, consciousness disturbance of various degrees, and seizure. No other major events that might be responsible for these symptoms could be identified. Eight patients died, including one patient with a serum creatinine level of 6.4 mg/dL who had not yet begun dialysis. The clinical manifestations of the survivors were similar to those who died except for consciousness disturbance and seizure. Death occurred within 5 days despite emergent hemodialysis and intensive medical care. The survivors' symptoms usually became less severe after supportive treatment, and these patients subsequently recovered without obvious sequelae. The purpose of this article is to report that patients with renal failure who ingest star fruit may develop neurological symptoms and also run the risk for death in severe cases. Mortality may also occur in patients with chronic renal failure not yet undergoing dialysis.

[Zach]

Some information about Star Fruit and people on Dilaysis:

http://www.uninet.edu/cin2003/conf/mmoyses/mmoyses.html

"... After these reports, Chang JM et al 20006 described 20 patients with renal failure that presented neurological symptoms after eating star fruit. Eight patients died. The time between ingestion and onset of symptoms varied from 2,5 hours to 14 hours. The symptoms varied from hiccups, consciousness disturbances, numbness of limbs, decreased muscle power and seizures. Ten patients with abnormal levels of consciousness underwent computerized tomographic brain scans, but no organic lesion could be identified. Their report says that emergent hemodialysis was performed to those 10 cases with consciousness disturbance, but 8 patients died..."

Also here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carambola

Here's an IHD thread entitled, "Help me with "DID YOU KNOW....?"
http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=13957.msg242630#msg242630

[Jean]

WOW, that is scary, isn't it?

[Dianejt]

Thank you