Hypervitaminosis A Following the Ingestion of Fish Liver: Report on 3 Cases from the Poison Control Center in Marseille

Abstract

In European countries, vitamin A toxicity is most often the result of an excessive intake of vitamin supplements and rarely the consequence of the ingestion of a large carnivorous fish liver. We report 3 cases of vitamin A poisoning after fish liver ingestion in mainland and overseas France. The patients were a 12-y-old girl, a 36-y-old pregnant woman, and a 62-y-old man. They experienced headache, nausea, emesis, and desquamation. Laboratory examination showed a high serum retinol level in the girl. The woman's pregnancy progressed to a miscarriage. This case series shows that this kind of poisoning is not restricted to the polar regions. In patients presenting with flushing combined with signs of intracranial hypertension, accurate questioning of the patient's diet is crucial to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary examinations. Pregnant women or women of child-bearing age should be informed of the risk to pregnancy in the case of excessive fish liver ingestion.

Keywords: acute fish liver poisoning; scombroid poisoning; vitamin A poisoning.