Acute Kidney Injury Following Ingestion of Raw Fish Gallbladder of Indian Crap (Labeo Rohita): Thirty Case Series During 1975–2018

INTRODUCTION: Ayurveda describes using desiccated and well-processed gallbladder of Indian carp (Labeorohita) as a traditional remedy for some diseases. People consume it irrationally following the hearsay advice for all types of chronic diseases. METHODS: Here we report 30 sporadic cases of acute kidney injury (AKI) following ingestion of raw gallbladder of Indian carp during 1975–2018 (44 years). RESULTS: Most of the victims were males (83.3%) with an average age of 37.7 years. The mean onset of symptoms was 2 to 12 hours after ingestion. All patients presented as acute gastroenteritis and AKI. Among them, 22 (73.33%) needed urgent dialysis, and 18 (81.81%) of them recovered with four (18.18%) deaths. Eight patients (26.6%) were managed conservatively, of which seven (87.5%) recovered with one (12.5%) death. Septicemia, myocarditis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome were the causes of death. CONCLUSIONS: This longest four-decade case series highlights that indiscriminate ingestion of raw fish gallbladder by unqualified prescription results in toxic AKI with multiple organ dysfunction and death.