Man Suffering Long Mystery Illness Was Fed Rat Poison by Wife, Police Say

A man suffering from a long mystery illness was allegedly fed rat poison by his wife, according to local police.

Doctors in Italy made the discovery after the 54-year-old Albanian man came into the hospital repeatedly with the same symptoms, Italian news outlet Leggo recently reported. The man had come to the hospital in Rimini multiple times since July 2022. In these instances, he was hospitalized for a long time, which did not seem right to doctors.

Tests then showed the man was actually a victim of rat poisoning after doctors found he had ingested Bromadiolone and Coumatetralyl—two chemicals used to kill rodents, commonly found in shop-bought poisons, Leggo reported.

Although used to kill rats, these chemicals are also extremely dangerous to humans. When ingested, it can lead to organ failure and death in severe cases.

There are several tell-tale symptoms of rat poisoning, which include bleeding gums, seizures, bruising, bloody diarrhea and urine, hair loss, nosebleeds and weakness, according to The University of Kansas Health System.

Rimini police searched the couple's home and discovered a syringe that contained a red liquid, Leggo reported. It was found later that the substance was rat poison, mixed with dye. It was then suspected that the wife had been injecting the poison into her husband's meals, according to police, and as a result, the 46-year-old is now facing charges of attempted murder.

The husband told officers that his wife could be the only one who would poison his meals. The wife is now under house arrest, Leggo reported, however, she has denied the charges.

Meanwhile, the couple had previously separated for while before this incident, Leggo reported, but had gotten back together a year ago. It is suspected that the wife poisoned her husband by administering the poison at mealtimes.

She has defended herself by saying that they would always eat together and that she made her food directly on the table, meaning there would be no way she could poison his food secretly, Leggo reported.

Newsweek has reached out to Rimini police via email for comment.

Many poison control centers have received thousands of calls annually from parents who have realized their child has accidentally ingested the deadly substance. According to The University of Kansas Health System, it's not uncommon for rat poison to be ingested by accident, as it often smells and looks like food. Those who ingest it by accident are usually pets and children.

In addition, symptoms of having ingested rat poison may not develop for a few days and by that time, adverse effects may already have taken hold. Even breathing in rat poison could be harmful to ones health.

Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Do you have a question about poisoning? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.