Mysterious Metal-Eating Habit: Lithuanian Man Ingested Over One Kilogram of Nails, Screws After Quitting Alcohol Drinking

A Lithuanian man was brought by ambulance to a hospital on the Baltic Sea coast after suffering from abdominal pain. In a report by BBC News, doctors who operated on him were able to remove over a kilogram or 2.5 pounds of metal objects in his stomach. They said that the man had been swallowing nails, screws, and knives after one month of quitting alcohol.

Doctors cannot tell yet as to what caused this mysterious metal-eating behavior of the man. As of now, he has been transferred to psychological care to assess this mysterious behavior.

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Mysterious Metal-Eating Habit: Lithuanian Man Ingested Over One Kilogram of Nails, Screws After Quitting Alcohol Drinking

A Lithuanian Man's Metal-Eating Behavior

In an article published by the Lithuanian news outlet LRT, doctors in Klaipeda University Hospital said that the emergency surgery took them three hours to completely remove all the metal objects in the man's stomach.

They were able to remove metal objects that measure 0.08 inches (2 millimeters) up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) long. Sarunas Dailidenas, one of the surgeons who operated on the man, said that they have never encountered a case like this before and called it unique. LRT also shared a photo of the metal objects removed from the man in their article.

Futurism reported that the surgery was fairly straightforward as doctors have previously experienced patients who come in after swallowing various objects. However, they noted that this particular surgery took them a long time because of the number of metal objects in the man's stomach.

Moreover, doctors had to slow down and frequently take X-rays to make sure that nothing was left in the stomach, not even a small piece of metal. Also, they had to be careful in removing sharp metals to prevent them from piercing through the stomach wall.

The man is currently under psychological care to assess his condition and figure out the mystery behind his metal-eating behavior, which started after he quit drinking alcohol.

ALSO READ: Quitting Drinking Alcohol Results to Mood Changes, Neuroscientist Explains

Is This A Unique Case of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrom?

According to Healthline, alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is the collective term for "symptoms that occur after a heavy drinker suddenly stops or reduces their alcohol intake." They may experience a combination of physical and emotional symptoms that may be out of their control.

These symptoms could include, anxiety, tremors, nausea, vomiting, headache, sweating, increased heart rate, irritability, insomnia, confusion, and high blood pressure during the first six hours to a few days since the last drink. But it could worsen and last for up to two to three days, and people might experience milder symptoms in the next few weeks.

The most severe symptoms reported were extreme confusion, extreme agitation, seizures, fever, hallucinations, excessive sweating, fast respirations, high blood pressure, and increased heart rate.

These symptoms occur because the body is adjusting from the withdrawal of alcohol, which it has grown dependent on for a long time. The central nervous system is adapting to the lack of alcohol, which has previously excited and irritated it.

In the Lithuanian man's case, experts have not yet released a diagnosis or the cause of his metal-eating behavior, although it might be linked with his quitting of drinking alcohol.

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