Florida Woman, 23, Develops Rare Shiitake Rash After Eating Mushrooms
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · May 27
Florida Woman, 23, Develops Rare Shiitake Rash After Eating Mushrooms
1 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · May 27
A 23-year-old Florida woman went to the ER with an itchy back rash that spread into whip-like streaks and was diagnosed as shiitake dermatitis after doctors ruled out other common causes.
The lesions appeared a day after she ate shiitake mushrooms, a rare trigger linked to lentinan, a mushroom compound thought to provoke inflammatory cytokines in susceptible people.
Doctors kept her on steroids, antihistamines and topical cream; the rash eased and cleared in about 3 weeks, and she was told breastfeeding remained safe.
Only about 100 cases have been described in medical literature, with most reported in Asia, making the condition still unusual in the United States and other Western countries.
A rare rash is linked to undercooked shiitake, but what hidden chronic danger was just found in supplements?
Why does traditional medicine praise a mushroom for allergies that can trigger a severe, whip-like rash?