Monosodium glutamate symptom complex in a young man
What it found
A teenage boy developed fever, cough, shock, a congested throat and widespread skin rashes after eating Chinese food.
Doctors suspected the monosodium glutamate symptom complex, also called Chinese restaurant syndrome.
What they found
Studies in people
Symptoms after Chinese food
The adolescent boy's symptoms started after he ate Chinese food. Doctors suspected Chinese restaurant syndrome based on that history.
Range of symptoms
The symptom complex can include headache, sweating, stomach pain and hives, and in severe cases swelling under the skin.
Blood test results
The boy had raised absolute eosinophil count and immunoglobulin E levels in his blood. These supported the doctors' diagnosis.
Emergency treatment
He was given intramuscular adrenaline and intravenous corticosteroid in the Emergency Department for anaphylaxis. He was then given an oral antihistamine.
What the authors conclude
- They report this as one case with unique skin symptoms in a young male, which they say was noticed for the first time as far as they know.
- They suspected Chinese restaurant syndrome after the boy's history of eating Chinese food before his symptoms began.
How it was done
Chinese food containing monosodium glutamate as its main additive can cause a range of symptoms in people who are susceptible. These symptoms run from headache, sweating, stomach pain and hives to swelling under the skin in severe cases.
They reported one case of a young male who developed symptoms after eating Chinese food. He went to the Emergency Department with high fever, cough, shock, a congested throat and generalised skin rashes.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a single case report, so it cannot show that monosodium glutamate caused the boy's symptoms.
- It also cannot say how often these symptoms happen in other people.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India
The paper
- Title
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Symptom Complex (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome): Nightmare of Chinese Food Lovers!
- Type
- Case report
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Shastri M, Raval DM, Rathod VM (2023). Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Symptom Complex (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome): Nightmare of Chinese Food Lovers!. The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India. doi:10.5005/japi-11001-0264PubMed 37355848DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error