Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2011 Oct;12(4):166-8.
doi: 10.4103/1995-705X.90905.

Cardiovascular Complications in Ciguatera Fish Poisoning: A Wake-up Call

Affiliations
Case Reports

Cardiovascular Complications in Ciguatera Fish Poisoning: A Wake-up Call

Subramanian Senthilkumaran et al. Heart Views. 2011 Oct.

Abstract

Ciguatera fish poisoning occurs with ingestion of fish containing ciguatoxin. It causes a clinical syndrome that comprises classic gastrointestinal, neurological and cardiovascular symptoms. Ciguatoxin is a sodium channel agonist with cholinergic and adrenergic activity. Although cardiovascular symptoms are rare with ciguatoxin, we report two cases with bradycardia and hypotension. Fatality and long-term sequelae are not uncommon with ciguatoxin poisoning and educating the general population is essential.

Keywords: Bradycardia; ciguatoxin; fish poisoning; hypotension.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Electrocardiogram (EKG) of the patient 1
Figure 2
Figure 2
Electrocardiogram (EKG) of the patient 2

References

    1. Lange W, Lipkin K, Yang G. Can ciguatera be a sexually transmitted disease? J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1989;27:193–7. - PubMed
    1. Fasano A, Hokama Y, Russell R, Morris JG., Jr Diarrhea in ciguatera fish poisoning: Preliminary evaluation of pathophysiological mechanisms. Gastroenterology. 1991;100:471–6. - PubMed
    1. Bidard J, Vijverberg H, Frelin C, Chungue E, Legrand AM, Bagnis R, et al. Ciguatoxin is a novel type of Na+ channel toxin. J Biol Chem. 1984;259:8353–7. - PubMed
    1. Geller RJ, Benowitz NL. Orthostatic hypotension in ciguatera fish poisoning. Arch Intern Med. 1992;152:2131–3. - PubMed
    1. Lewis R, Hoy A, McGiffin D. Action of ciguatoxin on human atrial trabeculae. Toxicon. 1992;30:907–14. - PubMed

Publication types