NextFin news, A 60-year-old man from Washington State, USA, was hospitalised for three weeks after developing rare bromide poisoning. The man had sought advice from the AI chatbot ChatGPT on how to remove salt from his diet due to health concerns. Following the chatbot's suggestion, he completely eliminated table salt (sodium chloride) and replaced it with sodium bromide, a chemical that is toxic in large amounts.
Sodium bromide was historically used in medications around the early 1900s but has since been phased out due to its neurological and psychiatric side effects. Today, it is rarely used in human medicine and is primarily found in veterinary drugs and industrial applications. Bromide poisoning cases in humans are extremely rare.
The man began using sodium bromide for about three months before his health deteriorated. He experienced severe symptoms including dehydration, hallucinations, paranoia, and a psychotic episode. Initially, he suspected poisoning by a neighbor and sought emergency medical care. Upon hospital admission, doctors discovered his condition was linked to bromide toxicity.
Medical staff treated him with intravenous fluids and antipsychotic medication, which gradually improved his condition. He was later transferred to a psychiatric unit for further care. The patient has since made a full recovery.
Physicians from the University of Washington published a case report in the Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases, noting that ChatGPT suggested sodium bromide as a substitute for salt but failed to warn about its toxicity. When doctors posed a similar question to ChatGPT, the system mentioned bromide as an alternative but omitted critical safety information.
This incident is considered the first documented case of AI-linked bromide poisoning. Medical experts caution against relying solely on AI-generated information for health decisions, emphasizing that such tools do not replace professional medical advice.
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