Mushroom poisoning or technically mycetism is poisoning by poisonous mushrooms. Mostly it comes here by wrong knowledge of forest mushrooms to confusion of edible mushrooms with poisonous mushrooms, which are subsequently consumed. Typical symptoms of poisoning such as severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting occur. A doctor should always be consulted as soon as possible in case of suspicion.
What is mushroom poisoning?
If you eat poisonous or harmful mushrooms, you can get mushroom poisoning, called mycetism in technical language. Fungal toxins are to blame, and even the smallest amounts can cause severe symptoms of poisoning. The main symptoms of mushroom poisoning are severe nausea, cardiovascular problems and dizziness. Mushroom poisoning can be fatal, so fast first aid and immediate medical treatment is enormously important.
Causes
How do you get mushroom poisoning? People who collect mushrooms themselves in the forest are particularly at risk. Laymen can usually not distinguish digestible edible mushrooms from poisonous mushrooms. Mushroom poisoning is caused by mushroom toxins, which are contained, for example, in fly agarics and green button mushrooms. There are about 10,000 species of mushrooms in the forest. Of these, however, only 1000 are really digestible, but they are difficult to distinguish from the poisonous ones. However, one can also catch mushroom poisoning by eating raw, spoiled or reheated edible mushrooms. How often and how many people suffer on average from mushroom poisoning is not known, because not every case is reported to poisoning centers and, moreover, there is no central reporting office in Germany only for mushroom poisoning. However, it is said that about ten percent of all reported poisonings have been caused by mushrooms.
Symptoms, complaints and signs
Depending on the type of toxin ingested, mushroom poisoning can manifest itself with very different symptoms within a few hours to ten days. Most common are disturbances of the digestive tract; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain are typical. Sweating, dizzy spells, palpitations, breathing difficulties and balance disorders are also characteristic; some mushroom poisons cause states of confusion and perceptual disturbances. The majority of mushroom poisonings are comparatively harmless and heal after overcoming the gastrointestinal symptoms without consequential damage. In individual cases, such as poisoning by the highly toxic tuber leaf fungus, massive functional impairment of the liver occurs after a temporary phase of improvement: In addition to some unspecific symptoms such as loss of performance, fatigue and loss of appetite and a recurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms, a yellowing of the skin and eyes (icterus) indicate incipient liver decomposition. Due to a disturbance of blood coagulation, internal bleeding is possible. Depending on the severity of the poisoning, blood tests show a more or less pronounced increase in urinary substances as well as liver enzymes. Poisoning with some species of slime mold can manifest itself after up to 14 days with nausea, vomiting, headache, muscle and joint pain, and chills – severe thirst and an increased urge to urinate indicate massive kidney damage in the further course.
Disease progression
What happens when you have mushroom poisoning? Depending on the mushroom toxins and how much of them one has eaten, symptoms can either be severe and even fatal within minutes, or it can take several days for symptoms to become visible and noticeable. Symptoms of mushroom poisoning are varied, often sufferers experience diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, impaired perception, shortness of breath and sweating. These symptoms can appear quite quickly within half an hour or even after a few days. To be distinguished from mushroom poisoning are, of course, food allergies or food intolerances.
Complications
Mushroom poisoning caused by improper preparation or consumption of mildly toxic mushrooms resembles gastrointestinal upset in its symptomatology and usually heals within a few days without complications. Since the course of the disease cannot be predicted in the initial stages, a doctor should always be consulted if indisposition occurs after eating mushrooms.Mushroom poisoning can be life-threatening if poisonous tuberous-leaf mushrooms have been eaten: Complications such as liver failure, kidney failure and internal bleeding occur days later after initial improvement, and even rapid medical intervention is not successful in all cases. Survivors often suffer from pronounced kidney weakness and are often dependent on dialysis for the rest of their lives; liver transplantation may be necessary after liver failure. The toxin of some slime molds can also cause life-threatening kidney damage that can only be treated by permanent dialysis or a kidney transplant. Some mushrooms, such as fly agaric or panther mushroom, have a strong poisonous effect on the nervous system. After mental deficits such as speech disorders, hallucinations and general agitation, a fatal respiratory arrest occurs without medical treatment. Further complications of mushroom poisoning include palpitations, high blood pressure, profuse sweating, circulatory problems and shortness of breath – in the case of some types of mushrooms, these symptoms are intensified or triggered in the first place by the simultaneous consumption of alcohol.
When should you go to the doctor?
In the event of mushroom poisoning, a doctor should always be consulted. In the worst case, mushroom poisoning leads to death or other serious complications that can significantly damage internal organs. In emergencies, an emergency doctor should be called or the hospital should be visited directly. The earlier mushroom poisoning is diagnosed and treated, the more likely it is to have a positive course of disease and a complete recovery. As a rule, the doctor should be consulted if the affected person feels severe pain in the abdomen and has digestive problems after eating mushrooms. This may also be accompanied by breathing difficulties or palpitations, and some sufferers lose consciousness. Likewise, sweating or panic attacks may indicate mushroom poisoning and should be examined by a doctor if these symptoms occur after eating mushrooms. Similarly, flu-like symptoms often occur and may be indicative of the disease. In many cases, patients also suffer from vomiting or diarrhea. If the stomach complaints do not disappear on their own, a doctor must be consulted in any case. Mushroom poisoning can be treated by a general practitioner or in a hospital. In most cases, there is a positive course of the disease.
Treatment and therapy
How is mushroom poisoning treated by a doctor? In addition to the symptoms of poisoning just described, kidney and liver damage can also occur, which then becomes life-threatening. It is therefore important to tell the attending physician that you have eaten mushrooms, so that the symptoms can be distinguished from food poisoning, for example. It would be ideal if one still has remnants of the mushroom or vomit, so that the doctors can more quickly determine what kind of mushroom poisoning it is. Treatment with home remedies is absolutely not recommended! Only the symptoms are treated, depending on the severity of the poisoning. In severe cases of poisoning, the stomach is flushed or pumped out and activated charcoal is administered to remove the fungal toxin from the body. Depending on the fungal toxin that caused the discomfort, there are also antidotes. Therefore, when picking mushrooms, certain things should be taken care of. Only mushrooms that are really known should be taken. In case of doubt, mushrooms should rather be left standing. Helpful are mushroom identification books or the advice of a trained mushroom consultant. The collected mushrooms should be transported in an airy container and not, for example, in plastic bags. If one is inexperienced, one should collect only mushrooms from the family of the Röhrlinge. These Have a so-called sponge or hat and are usually non-toxic. When cooking, care should be taken not to cook the mushrooms for more than 15 to 20 minutes.
Outlook and prognosis
True mushroom poisoning can result in death within a very short time. The more toxic the mushroom, the worse the prognosis. Rapid medical treatment is essential to prevent serious physical damage. Secondary mushroom poisoning is unpleasant, but much less dangerous to the body. Most secondary fungal poisonings heal without consequences. The discomfort can last for several days and weaken the affected person very much.The later the symptoms of poisoning begin, the longer the poison can act in the body. The risk of permanent organ damage increases. In the event of damage to internal organs, outpatient follow-up treatment is mandatory. The same applies if the patient is completely powerless due to mushroom poisoning. Regular follow-up checks reduce the risk of permanent functional impairment of internal organs. To support the success of treatment, dietary restriction is recommended. The digestive system should be spared and relieved for as long as possible. The diet should be built up slowly, ideally with easily digestible light foods. Dairy products should be avoided. If the mushroom poisoning leads to diarrhea, the loss of fluids must be compensated. With timely treatment and absolute sparing, a complete cure can be expected.
Aftercare
The goal of aftercare is basically to prevent the recurrence of a disease and thereby avert life-threatening consequences. This is familiar from tumor diseases, for example. To this end, the doctor and patient agree on regular check-ups. However, these preventive measures are the sole responsibility of the patient after the first episode of mushroom poisoning. The patient should refrain from picking and consuming unknown mushroom species. This provides sufficient protection against a new illness. Furthermore, the aftercare can aim at a permanent treatment. It is always necessary when a disease does not subside at all or does not subside for months or years. However, these scenarios are generally an exception. Fungal poisoning treated early does not usually entail the need for follow-up care. The patient can continue to live his or her life without restrictions. There is no medical reason for further treatment in view of the absence of symptoms. In contrast, secondary damage rarely remains. These mainly affect the liver and kidneys. This results in regular further treatments and examinations. These serve to detect complications at an early stage. Under certain circumstances, a transplant may even be necessary. In addition to imaging procedures, doctors resort to blood tests. The rhythm of follow-up care depends on the individual level of complaints.
What you can do yourself
Mushroom poisoning is a medical emergency that usually requires immediate medical intervention. However, a period of time may elapse from the time the mushrooms are eaten until the first symptoms appear. Even edible mushrooms can cause symptoms if they were already spoiled during preparation. For self-help, it is important to initiate medical measures as early as possible if there is even the slightest suspicion of mushroom poisoning. Even before a doctor or the nearest hospital is visited, a call to the poison control center can be useful. Because there toxicologists, as trained experts in poisoning symptoms, are available to answer questions. If the doctor or the hospital is visited, it is advisable to take leftovers of the mushroom meal there. Because on the basis the mushroom components it is usually fast recognizable whether it concerns genuine poisonous mushrooms or a spoiled mushroom meal. In the case of the very poisonous tuberous-leaf mushroom, there may even be a symptom-free period of several hours, but in this important time window, nerves and organs are already permanently and irreversibly damaged. Even after the symptoms have subsided, it is therefore still advisable to call in a doctor or emergency physician. A doctor or hospital should be consulted immediately at the latest when manifest symptoms occur, such as clouding of consciousness, acceleration of the pulse, sweating, vomiting, diarrhea or gastrointestinal cramps. Toxicologists further advise not to provoke vomiting if mushroom poisoning is suspected.
