#Sodium

A new clinical case report describes how a 60-year-old man developed bromism—an archaic psychiatric syndrome rarely seen since the early 20th century—after replacing table salt with sodium bromide based on information he said he gleaned from a chatbot. The case, published this week in Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases, underscores the dangers of relying on unvetted artificial intelligence (AI) advice for health decisions and arrives as Thailand accelerates efforts to reduce population salt intake to curb hypertension and heart disease. Investigators said the man mistakenly treated a chemical substitution used in cleaning and pool treatment as if it were a safe dietary swap, leading to psychosis, hospitalization, and weeks-long treatment for bromide toxicity. The report has triggered global debate over AI safety guardrails in consumer health and the practical, safer paths Thais can take to cut sodium without risking harm (acpjournals.org; 404media.co; arstechnica.com).

A shocking clinical case report reveals how a 60-year-old man developed bromism—an archaic psychiatric syndrome rarely documented since the early 20th century—after replacing table salt with industrial sodium bromide based on information he claimed to receive from artificial intelligence chatbot consultation. The extraordinary case, published in Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases, underscores profound dangers of utilizing unvetted AI advice for health decisions while arriving at a critical juncture as Thailand accelerates population-wide salt reduction efforts to combat hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Medical investigators documented that the patient mistakenly treated a chemical compound used for cleaning and pool maintenance as if it were safe dietary replacement, leading to severe psychosis, emergency hospitalization, and weeks-long treatment for life-threatening bromide toxicity. This unprecedented case has triggered global debates over AI safety protocols in consumer healthcare while highlighting practical, safer pathways Thai families can pursue for sodium reduction without risking catastrophic health consequences according to Annals of Internal Medicine case documentation, 404 Media investigative reporting, and Ars Technica expert analysis.