A 24-year-old woman from Mexico is being blamed for the untimely death of her 17-year-old boyfriend after giving him a love bite.
After hanging out with his girlfriend, Julio Macias Gonzalez suddenly started having convulsions while eating dinner with his family in Mexico City. Although emergency services were called, the teenage boy died on the spot.
The doctors believe that the hickey the girlfriend planted on Gonzalez resulted into a blood clot that traveled into his brain and caused a stroke. Local media reported that the woman is currently in hiding.
Moreover, the family reportedly disapproved of their son’s relationship with the girlfriend because of their seven-year age gap.
As absurd as it may seem, this isn’t the first reported case of a hickey causing a stroke.
In fact, a 44-year-old woman from New Zealand experienced paralysis in her left arm after the suction from her love bite at her neck damaged a major artery and formed a blood clot. Similar to Gonzalez’ case, the clot travelled to her heart and caused a minor stroke.
Dr. Teddy Wu of Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital said: “To my knowledge, it’s the first time someone has been hospitalised by a hickey.”
But unlike Gonzalez, the woman fully recovered within a week after being treated with anti-coagulant warfarin.
What are the Risk Factors of Stroke?
Stroke, which occurs when the blood supply to your brain is reduced or interrupted, has several lifestyle and medical risk factors which can be potentially treatable.
Here are some risk factors, according to Mayo Clinic:
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity
- Heavy drinking
- Use of drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamines
- High blood pressure
- Cigarette smoking
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Cardiovascular disease
- Family or personal history of stroke
- Being a man
- Being age 55 or older
- Being an African-American