Gastric hemorrhage due to high pungency food?

We present a case of a 9-year-old patient who presented with hematemesis after consuming crisps with a high pungency (the so-called ghost peppers). Blood loss resulted in a significant decrease in hemoglobin and for this reason a gastroduodenoscopy was performed. This demonstrated diffuse bleeding of the gastric mucosa, in the corpus of the stomach for which hemospray was applied. Since we were not able to identify a plausible other cause, and the patient remained asymptomatic with a normal follow-up gastroduodenoscopy, we consider it most likely that the crisps have contributed to the development of the stomach hemorrhage. In scientific literature no previous reports have described this possible relationship so far. However, in the news media, there have been several reports about morbidity and even mortality when eating high-pungency crisps. With this case report, we hope to provide a scientific background and create awareness of the possible consequences of high-pungency food to prevent future complications.