The Fifty shades of Grey actor Jamie Dordan and his friend Gordon Smart were hospitalised after being bite by a tiny caterpillar. Read on to knw if these little crawlies can pose as a risk of heart attack.
Ever wondered how dangerous a caterpillar can be? Well, most of us probably didn’t even think about if these little crawlies can do any harm. Recently, the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ actor Jamie Dornan was hospitalised after a toxic caterpillar bit him and his friend Gordon Smart. The famous actor was rushed to hospital due to heart attack-like symptoms.
During their trip to Portugal, the friends duo got bitten or stung by processionary caterpillars on the golf course. Recently, Smart spoke about the incident – that happened almost a year ago – on BBC’s “The Good, the Bad and the Unexpected” podcast. “It turns out that there are caterpillars on golf courses in the south of Portugal that have been killing people’s dogs and giving men in their 40s heart attacks,” he added on the podcast.
What are Processionary Caterpillars?
These hairy little caterpillars are said to be part of the moth family. Their hair contains an irritating protein that may lead to health concerns. When they bite, sting or if a human comes in contact with someone, it may have fatal effects. Last year in March, Dornan and Smart were hospitalised due to heart-attack like symptoms that turned out to be triggered by this toxic caterpillar.
Here are some warning signs one must be careful about after getting in contact with these creepy crawlies.
Symptoms:
- Tingling in arms
- Numbness in limbs
- Skin Infection
- Throat Infection
- Eye Problems.
Smart revealed in the podcast that her experienced tingling in my left hand and then tickling in my left arm.
JAMIE DORNAN AND GORDON SMART TOXIC CATERPILLAR CASE
“We had a great time the first day, played loads of golf, went out, lots of wine was drunk and then we got on to espresso martinis,” Smart said.
In the podcast, smart said that he is the son of a doctor and thought, ‘This is normally the sign of the start of a heart attack. Now, I’m a fairly healthy guy, but once you start thinking you’re having a heart attack, you’re pretty sure that you’re convincing yourself that you are having one.
Nearly 20 minutes after Smart was discharged, Dronana started to show symptoms and was hospitalised. While the friends were worried sick that this could have been an effect of the alcohol they indulged in during the vacation. However, a week later, their doctor revealed that it was due to toxic caterpillar and not a toxic heart per say.