How A Ketchup Packet Gave Woman A False Crohn's Disease Diagnosis

NEW YORK, NY — After living with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease for six years, a 41-year-old woman received some shocking news: she didn't have Crohn's at all. In fact, doctors found that the chronic inflammation and gastrointestinal issues she struggled with for years — quite typical for Crohn's patients — were not caused by a disease at all.

No, her symptoms were the result of a Heinz ketchup packet.

In a newly published case study in the medical journal BMJ from Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospital in the United Kingdom, doctors reveal the history of a woman that they believe is the first reported incident of its kind. A small ketchup packet lodged itself in the side of her intestines and led her to be misdiagnosed for years.

Doctors discovered the object during surgery. The woman, whose name is not included in the report, experienced severe pain and frequent surgeries, leading her doctors to recommend surgery. As the procedure progressed, the surgeon discovered an object in her intestine.

"The mass was mobilised where it was found to contain two pieces of plastic bearing the word ‘Heinz’ on them," doctors explained in the case study. "The patient had no recent recollection of consuming a meal involving the product found intraoperatively."

"To our knowledge, this is the first report of a rare case of a synthetic plastic packaging ... mimicking Crohn’s disease," the doctors write. They suggest that other doctors should consider this possible diagnosis when reviewing patients who don't respond to other Crohn's treatments.

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