Overview

• After consulting ChatGPT, a 60-year-old man spent three months substituting table salt with sodium bromide, leading to toxic accumulation
• He developed paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, facial acne and cherry angiomas as blood bromide levels soared 233 times above healthy limits
• Admitted in early August, he received IV fluids and electrolytes, stabilized in the psychiatry unit and was discharged after a three-week hospital stay
• The detailed report in Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases marks a rare modern occurrence of bromism since over-the-counter bromide salts were banned in 1975
• Study authors caution that AI chatbots can offer scientifically inaccurate medical advice without patient-specific warnings or context, underscoring the need for professional oversight