Ars Technica, a science and tech webzine, released its readers' top 5 picks for the absolute worst medical cases of 2025.
5th: A Chinese man who ruptured his esophagus while vomiting after eating street food. The rupture caused fluid to leak into his lungs, leading to respiratory failure. He finally recovered after 35 days in the hospital and 3 months on a feeding tube.
4th: A woman who felt a burning sensation in her legs caused by a slug parasite that traveled all the way to her brain. The culprit was raw food she ate during a trip to Hawaii.
3rd: A man who suffered a chaotic mix of symptoms including abdominal pain, lung failure, sepsis, liver issues, intestinal damage, and kidney clots. Doctors were baffled because the symptoms seemed unrelated, but a full-team investigation revealed a swallowed toothpick had pierced his gut and shredded multiple organs.
2nd: A patient with multiple chronic illnesses (diabetes, hypertension, heart failure) whose abdominal pain was initially blamed on his existing conditions. It turned out to be Brucellosis caused by eating wild boar meat.
1st: A Florida man who ate 3-4kg of a meat-heavy diet every single day, resulting in cholesterol literally erupting out of his body.
"Users are equal parts horrified and impressed, especially by the 'Florida Man' who turned into a human grease fountain and the 'House MD' style toothpick mystery."
#FunContinue Browsing
![[Info Gallery] A shark found inside a boiling active volcano crater](https://kcomm-assets.b-cdn.net/thumbnails/thumb_ceed397c6a281c0b.webp)
