Presentation
The symptoms of this illness are similar to that of Reye’s syndrome. The patient initially complains of severe epigastric pain for 2-6 hours which begins after consuming a meal of ackee fruits followed by an onset of sudden vomiting [5]. Once the sickness begins, the progression is rapid. The symptoms patients experience are as follows: increased sweating, tachypnea, tachycardia, headache, generalized weakness, paresthesia, and disturbed mental state.
After a period of complete prostration which may last as long as 18 hours, a second bout of vomiting may occur [5]. Unless this present condition is treated soon enough, this episode is usually followed by convulsions, coma, and death.
Death is more common in children than in adults. The average time of death is 12.5 hours. The other symptoms that come up in some cases are as follows: tonic-clonic convulsions in 25% of the patients, seizures occur in 85% of all fatal cases and fatty degeneration of the liver. Symptoms of this illness do not include fever or diarrhoea.
Jamaican vomiting sickness comes with its fair share of complications as well. These include: profound hypoglycaemia which may lead to coma and eventually death. There could also be acidosis, hypovolaemia and seizures [7].