Wild Mushroom Poisoning

Wild mushrooms can be delicious - and dangerous. Wild mushroom poisoning is a particular danger for children, who love to explore by placing things in their mouths. Each year approximately 100 people die from wild mushroom poisoning.

What are the symptoms of wild mushroom poisoning?
The first symptom of wild mushroom poisoning is acute gastrointestinal upset. This occurs about a day after eating toxic mushrooms and includes:

• abdominal pain,
• severe diarrhea that is sometimes bloody, and
• low blood pressure.

These symptoms may go away, but the toxins (poisons) in the mushroom latch onto liver cells and cause liver and kidney damage. The next stage of symptoms appears 3 to 5 days after eating the mushroom and includes:

• severe jaundice (yellow skin) and
• coma

Heart failure, bleeding, and seizures typically follow.

How is wild mushroom poisoning treated?
There is no antidote to the wild mushroom toxin, and treatment is largely supportive and symptomatic.

How can wild mushroom poisoning be prevented?
Wild mushroom poisoning can be prevented by never eating wild mushrooms. If you suspect someone has eaten a wild mushroom, immediately call your doctor or local poison control center emergency department.

Bring the mushroom that was eaten with you so it can be identified.