Recently, Bach Mai Hospital received many cases of poisoning and critical coma due to drinking water advertised as having the ability to “cure all diseases”.
A 60-year-old female patient in Soc Son, Hanoi, was admitted to the hospital in a state of fatigue, weak limbs, and vomiting for many days without stopping. She was referred to the Poison Control Center, with a diagnosis of alkaline water poisoning, metabolic alkalosis, and hypokalemia in mid-October.
The patient shared that he had a thyroid tumor, numbness in his hands and feet, and many diseases of the stomach, duodenum, and colon. When she heard neighbors telling each other about a place to drink “cure water” near her house, she came and asked for treatment. At the time she participated in treatment, there were about 10 people, mainly people from the same commune.
The woman added that there is no need to pay for treatment costs and free drinking water. The water purifier was advertised by the homeowner as imported from Japan, “whoever needs it, they will sell it.” The treatment regimen is to drink a minimum of about 5-6 liters of water per day, without eating any food, continuously for about two weeks.
Previously, Bach Mai Hospital also received a cluster of similar cases. Three patients with kidney failure, undergoing hemodialysis at Lai Chau General Hospital, abandoned treatment and went to Thanh Oai (Hanoi) to drink “water” in the same way as the patients in Soc Son.
“Drink 6 liters of water a day, fast completely for 15-20 days. These patients only drank for about 2-3 days, began to have difficulty breathing, went into a coma and had to be taken to the emergency room,” said the doctor at the Center for Disease Control. poison said.
Patients were intubated, mechanically ventilated, and had emergency dialysis immediately upon receipt. Test results showed that the amount of Urea, Potassium and Creatinine in the blood increased very high, in which Urea was 3 times higher than normal, Creatinine was 10-15 times higher. Due to timely dialysis, they escaped death and returned to the hemodialysis cycle to maintain their health and life.
A patient quit dialysis, drank “alkaline water” to treat the disease, fell into a coma and had to be intubated and ventilated. Image: Nguyen Ha
On October 15, Dr. Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, said that drinking too much normal water such as filtered water or boiled and cooled water in a day, even in healthy people, is very dangerous and can cause edema. , pulmonary edema, hemodilution, hyponatremia, cerebral edema, coma, seizures, and death. Most of the above patients drink alkaline water. For example, a water sample brought by a patient in Soc Son tested for a pH of 7.5.
“Drinking a lot of alkaline water causes excess water, changes blood pH, metabolic alkalosis, which is extremely dangerous and complicated,” said Dr. Nguyen.
Mr. Nguyen analyzed that when there is a change in blood pH, the body will be disturbed and many diseases will arise. Accordingly, body pH increases, sensory disturbances, coma, and hypokalemia can lead to arrhythmia, paralysis, reduced enzymes, and even death.
People listen to and follow treatment regimens and propaganda that lacks scientific basis and is very dangerous. Everyone who suspects illness should visit a medical facility.