Woman has dangerous reaction to sandwiches

Dec 30 2008 by Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

Cardiologist Dr Christopher Boos, from University Hospital Trust Birmingham, which runs Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said that when doctors gave the woman a sandwich, she immediately suffered an electrical abnormality in her heart, which stopped beating for two seconds.

Dr Boos said the patient was finally diagnosed with “swallow syncope”, a rare condition in which the action of swallowing triggers nerve reflexes that cause the heart to stop temporarily.

Sandwiches and carbonated beverages were the primary culprits in her unusual condition. The doctors said: “Swallow syncope is a loss of consciousness during swallowing and is usually intermittent.

“The patient was becoming increasingly frustrated and was desperate to get to the bottom of these potentially disabling symptoms.”

The woman, who has not been named, was fitted with a pacemaker to overcome the problem, and when last seen in June was free of fainting. Dr. Russell Cherry said: “She made it very clear to me that when she had food she felt funny every time.”