RESUMO
HISTORY: A 59-year-old woman went into coma after she had taken a phytopharmacon from Vietnamese generally used as an antidiabetic drug to treat her skin disease. INVESTIGATIONS: CT-scans revealed signs of pneumonia and cerebral edema. Severe brain damage was diagnosed by MRI-investigation. By chemical-toxicological analysis of the drug glibenclamide was identified in a concentration of 1.1 mg/g. DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND COURSE: The patient developed severe irreversible encephalopathy. By neurorehabilitative treatment her physical status slightly improved, but she died after 13 months without regaining consciousness. CONCLUSIONS: The cause of losing consciousness remained unclear, however, severe hypoglycaemia following the use of the drug may be taken into account. An urgent warning against the use of such preparations is highly recommended.