Fava beans are in season right now. Have you started to have them on your home table? But this is the seasonal delicacy that makes a little baby suffer from it!
The 4-year-old boy had a sudden onset of severe anemia “fava bean disease” Doudou is 4 years old, a few days ago, he was carried into the hospital by his mother, already feverish for 2 days, little face waxy, no spirit. “The child’s fever has not gone down, and the color of his urine has recently become very dark, like strong tea.” Doudou’s mother looked at her son with a face of anxiety. After examination, Doudou has acute hemolytic anemia, and is a severe anemia, the situation is very critical. Doudou’s mother said that these days fava beans are just on the market, she bought some to do for her son to eat.
After examination, Doudou’s blood glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase value is significantly lower than normal, it is because of the lack of this enzyme, he ate beans after the rupture of red blood cells, and then appear anemia, fever, strong tea-colored urine and other symptoms of hemolytic anemia.
Why are fava beans so deadly?
Fava beans have gradually become the fresh goods in the vegetable market, some shelled fava beans, sold to more than ten dollars a pound, such a good dish, how to kill the baby so much? It turns out that fava bean disease and ordinary allergies are not the same in nature, belong to the genetic defects, passed from parents to children, of which patients under 3 years of age accounted for 70% of the total number of patients, men accounted for 90% of the number of patients.
In these people, the red blood cell membranes are born without an enzyme called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), which acts as armor for the cells to defend them against various “oxidative” substances. Lack of this enzyme, with “oxidizing” substances, red blood cells will be destroyed, especially fresh fava beans, considered a very strong oxidant, for the lack of this enzyme children, fava beans become a deadly poison. After eating fava beans, the red blood cells in the child’s body rupture and the hemoglobin is excreted through the urine, leading to severe anemia, soy urine and mental discomfort, and if not treated in time, the child may even have a life-threatening condition.
Symptoms of fava bean disease Patients usually develop acute intravascular hemolysis within 1-2 days after consuming fava beans. This is followed by jaundice, anemia, hemoglobinuria, and soy sauce-colored urine, followed by increased body temperature and increased lethargy, which can last for about 3 days.
Along with the appearance of hemolytic anemia, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain increase, liver enlargement, abnormal liver function, and splenomegaly in about 50% of patients. In severe cases, it may lead to coma, shock and systemic failure, and death often occurs within 1 to 2 days if first aid is not given. Therefore, patients with the above symptoms should be sent to the hospital immediately.
Reminder: Even if the family does not have this genetic disease, parents should pay special attention to their children’s reaction when they first give them fava beans, if the symptoms of general malaise, fatigue and darkening of the urine appear after eating fava beans, they must take their children to the hospital in a timely manner. Although this kind of thing is not common, but also must let more people know, especially the young parents around, children’s things can not be sloppy!