A Dutch teenager woke up after knee surgery unable to speak his native language and only spoke English, a language he normally did not use. This is an extremely rare symptom, with only nine cases reported in medical literature.
According to recent reports by U.S. science media Live Science and others, A (17), a Dutch national, injured his knee while playing soccer and underwent surgery. The surgery was successful, but immediately afterward, A could neither speak nor understand Dutch, his mother tongue. He did not even recognize his parents and lost his sense of direction.
Instead, A spoke English and claimed he was in the United States. Before the surgery, A only used English during school English classes and had never communicated in English outside of school. He had never visited an English-speaking country nor had relatives in any English-speaking country.
The medical staff initially thought A was experiencing temporary delirium while recovering from anesthesia because he was speaking English, but even after several hours, he could not speak Dutch. It was only after 24 hours post-surgery, when friends came to visit him in the hospital, that A was able to understand and speak Dutch again.
Neurological examinations revealed no abnormal findings in A. Since he voluntarily began speaking his native language again, the medical team decided there was no need for additional tests such as neuropsychological assessments or EEGs.
A was discharged three days after surgery, and during an outpatient visit three weeks later, he reportedly had no difficulty using Dutch. There were no mood changes, anxiety symptoms, or sleep problems.
The medical team who wrote the case report noted that some literature associates such symptoms with "Foreign Language Syndrome" (FLS). This refers to a condition where a patient suddenly and unconsciously uses a language other than their native tongue for a certain period after surgery or anesthesia.
The medical staff also mentioned that such cases are rare. Only nine cases related to Foreign Language Syndrome have been reported in medical literature, and cases involving children or adolescents are almost nonexistent.
The cause of this symptom is unknown. The medical team stated that A’s symptoms might be related to anesthesia, but the exact influence remains unclear.
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