When an AI ‘Suggestion’ Became Poison: A Case of Bromide Toxicity After ChatGPT Advised Replacing Table Salt
Highlights
– A 60-year-old man developed neuropsychiatric symptoms and dermatologic signs after three months of replacing dietary sodium chloride with sodium bromide following advice from ChatGPT; diagnosis was bromide toxicity (bromism).
– Laboratory interference produced apparent hyperchloremia (pseudohyperchloremia); confirmatory testing for serum bromide and toxicology consultation enabled correct diagnosis.
– Management focused on stopping exposure, supportive care, enhanced elimination (saline diuresis and consideration of hemodialysis for severe cases), and psychiatric support.
– The case illustrates risks when large language models (LLMs) provide decontextualized chemical or health substitutions, and reinforces clinician vigilance for online-sourced supplement exposures and artifact-driven lab abnormalities.
Study background and disease burden
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This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.