Mushroom poisoning. Symptoms and first aid for poisoning

For many people, mushrooms are an incredibly appetizing dish that we sometimes eat in large quantities.

Everything would be fine, but few people know that mushrooms can not only cause poisoning, but also lead to death. Of course, when everything is good, you don’t even need to think about it, but what if the “scenario” has changed? What if you ate a poisonous mushroom along with edible mushrooms? What are the symptoms of mushroom poisoning? What to do if you are poisoned by mushrooms? Who should I contact? Let's look at everything in order.

Fungi are living organisms that, by their origin, are at the junction between plants and animals.

Experts note that mushrooms are a difficult-to-digest product for the intestines, therefore, they are not recommended for use by children, the elderly, as well as pregnant and lactating women, especially in large quantities.

Symptoms of mushroom poisoning

The first signs of mushroom poisoning appear after 1.5-2 hours, but sometimes a day or two after eating them.

Symptoms include:

Severe abdominal pain;
Nausea and vomiting;
Diarrhea (diarrhea);
Increased body temperature – up to 38°C;
Cold extremities - arms and legs;
Dizziness;
Headache;
Weak pulse;
General weakness;
Inflammatory process in the gastrointestinal tract.

In case of severe poisoning, as well as poisoning with poisonous mushrooms (pale toadstool, red fly agaric, false foam, satanic mushroom), the following symptoms are possible:

The appearance of delusions, hallucinations;
Mental disorder;
Severe diarrhea;
Increased sweating and drooling;
Anuria;
Slight constriction of the pupils;
Increased drowsiness;
Jaundice (Gospel disease);
Heart failure;
Breathing disorders;
Pulmonary edema;
Coma.

If timely and qualified assistance is not provided, a person may fall into a coma, and then death may occur.

Mushrooms are representatives of a special living Kingdom that have nothing in common with plants. There are more than 3 thousand species, but only about 400 of them are edible. The rest contain poisons of varying degrees of toxicity that affect different organs. But even being edible, mushrooms can cause poisoning if they were improperly stored or collected in an environmentally polluted area:

this is due to their special property - to pass through themselves substances, as through a filter, substances contained in the soil.

Even mushrooms grown under artificially created conditions - those sold in supermarkets - can cause disease.

Of all poisonings, inedible mushrooms are poisoned in 4% of cases. This most often occurs in late summer and autumn; the next peak occurs around New Year's, when people take out jars of canned mushrooms.

Mushroom poisoning usually runs in families, and such grief occurs in every fifth family every year. But if the severity of mushroom intoxication in adults depends on the state of health, the type and amount of mushroom consumed, then in children it is always severe, although it depends on the type of mushroom.

According to statistics, every 3-4 poisoned children remain disabled for life, and every 20 die.

Fortunately, there are antidotes against the poison of certain mushrooms - antidotes. The main thing is to seek help in time and describe (or show) to doctors the mushrooms you consumed.

Types of mushrooms

Poisonous representatives of mycotic flora are divided into:

affecting mainly the gastrointestinal tract: false honey mushrooms and chanterelles, satanic mushroom, sow mushrooms, milkweeds, cobwebs;
affecting primarily the nervous system (they can cause hallucinations and mental disorders): fly agarics, talkers, lepiots, fibers;
acting on several internal organs at once (this is the most toxic group of mushrooms): pale toadstool, lines - spring and giant, toadstool-shaped fly agaric, plush cobweb.

Conditionally edible mushrooms are distinguished separately. These are some types of milkweeds, russula, oakweeds - speckled and olive-brown.

Causes of mushroom poisoning

To get poisoned by mushrooms, you don’t have to eat a poisonous representative of the mycotic flora that contains a toxin (each species has its own toxin); you can also add a mushroom to the dish:

affected by parasites or insects; long-term storage, even in the form of a ready-made dish; conditionally edible, especially when alcohol was taken with it;
from the category of edibles that have an increased ability to accumulate radionuclides: boletus, svinushki, Polish mushroom;
edible, relating to morels when they are used frequently; absolutely edible, collected near the highway, in an industrial zone, near a gas station.

Dishes with mushrooms should not be consumed with alcohol, especially if you collected them yourself - in the forest or planting. In this case, the negative effect on the liver and brain is cumulative.

If you really like mushroom dishes, you need to know the signs of mushroom poisoning, even if you buy them in supermarkets and do not collect them yourself or buy them at spontaneous markets.

This is especially important if you give such dishes to children, even if in small quantities.

Myths about the differences between inedible mushrooms and edible ones

There is no point in hoping that by picking mushrooms and performing some manipulations on them you will not get poisoned. Everything that was previously considered “proven folk recipes” has not been scientifically tested.

For example, it is not true that:

if you cook mushrooms together with an onion, the latter will turn black if there is a poisonous mushroom in the mixture;
a poisonous mushroom thrown into milk will cause it to sour;
if there were worms in the stem or cap, then the mushroom can be eaten;
when a mushroom smells good, it is edible;
if you put a silver spoon, fork or knife into mushroom broth, it will turn black from poison;
if eaten by a young person, the mushroom poison will not cause poisoning.

The first mushroom picking, if you are so attracted to this “silent hunt”, is best done under the guidance of experienced mushroom pickers, and not with a magazine that depicts the differences between edible “representatives” and inedible ones.

The fact is that “live” everything may not look so colorful. In addition, the flakes on the caps of fly agarics can be washed away by rain, and if you cut the “champignon” close to the cap, you may not notice the ring indicating that it is a toadstool.

It is not a myth that you can reduce the amount of radionuclides (in particular, cesium-137) in harvested mushrooms.

To do this, representatives of the Kingdom of Fungi cut in the forest or planting need:

a) thoroughly clean from all foreign impurities: soil, moss, litter;
b) cut off the skin from the cap;
c) soak in plain water for 24 hours, changing the water and washing the mushrooms;
d) Boil them for 0.5-1 hour in salted water, to which you need to add either vinegar or citric acid, while changing the broth 2-3 times.

Such measures need not be taken in relation to honey mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, champignons, umbrella mushrooms and puffball mushrooms. But you must do it if you have collected:

boletus;
pig mushroom;
flywheels;
bitter mushroom;
Polish mushroom;
Russula;
greenfinches;
lacticians;
boletus;
boletus;
White mushrooms;
chanterelles;
rows.

Those mushrooms that require the most processing are those that have a well-developed mycelium (many whitish “roots” pass under the stem).

Mushrooms contain the predominant amount of toxins and radionuclides in their caps (their concentration is 1.5-2 times higher than in the stems).

Signs of poisoning

Symptoms of mushroom poisoning vary depending on the Fungi species: whether they belong to the highly toxic group that affects vital internal organs, whether they are hallucinogenic, or the group that affects the gastrointestinal tract.

Manifestations of intoxication with almost any mushroom develop in three stages:

The first, occurs after 2-18 hours (less often - during the first 24 hours), and lasts 6-24 hours. At this stage, the body is trying to get rid of the poison, so the first sign of poisoning is nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The second stage is the most insidious, but it is present when not all mushrooms are consumed, but only individual ones. It is called a period of imaginary prosperity; begins after the end of the first phase and lasts 1-3 days. There are no obvious symptoms here, there may only be weakness, but it is associated with dehydration and exhaustion due to vomiting and diarrhea.

Toadstool poisoning

This mushroom contains poisons of the amanitin group (several types), phallin, phalloidin, which are extremely toxic to the liver and kidneys, heart and nervous system. And if fallin can still be neutralized by boiling, then the remaining toxins remain with any type of heat treatment.

The first signs appear after 6-18 hours; if you consume a small amount of poison, you can expect symptoms (or you can drink a loading dose of sorbents and reduce the likelihood of intoxication) for up to 36 hours. This:

vomiting that occurs after nausea;
profuse diarrhea of “water” mixed with feces and blood;
muscle spasms;
abdominal pain, slightly relieved by applying a heating pad to the navel area;
decrease in temperature (this is different from an intestinal infection).

The second period lasts 2-4 days. The more poisoned a person is, the shorter the latent period.

The third phase is characterized by clear signs of acute hepatic-renal failure:

weakness;
drowsiness;
yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes;
loss of appetite;
nausea;
sleep disturbance (there may be nightmares);
bleeding: from the appearance of blood only when brushing teeth or from injection sites to heavy bleeding from the esophagus (vomiting blood), from the intestines (feces with blood), from the vagina;
urine becomes dark and its quantity decreases.

Severe liver failure is manifested by depression of consciousness: the person becomes increasingly drowsy, coma may develop, which is usually followed by death.

In addition to damage to the liver and kidneys, symptoms of heart damage appear: its rhythm is disturbed, swelling appears.

Due to the combination of kidney and heart failure, a lot of excess fluid appears in the body, which can cause pulmonary edema.

Poisoning by mountain spider web, lepiots, fleshy reddish umbrella

Here the main role is played by the poison orellanin, which is not destroyed by any heat treatment methods. Orellanine causes acute renal failure, which is often fatal.

Symptoms of poisoning do not appear on the first day, but even after several weeks. This:

strong thirst;
headache;
pain localized in the abdomen and lower back;
decreased amount of urine;
feeling of coldness in the legs and arms.

Fortunately, these mushrooms rarely make any mushroom picker want to try them, so cases of poisoning are rare.

Poisoning by fly agarics - red and panther

Symptoms of poisoning may vary depending on which fly agaric poison - muscarine, muscaridine or bufotenine - has reached the person the most.

If the most amount of muscarine was present, symptoms appear within 2 hours after eating fly agaric. This:

salivation;
profuse sweating;
diarrhea;
vomit;
constriction of the pupils;
decreased heart rate;
in severe cases there may be a sharp decrease in pressure with loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, and pulmonary edema.

Muscarine comes to humans not only from fly agarics, but also from talker mushrooms and fibers.

If bufotenin is ingested, the previous symptoms are supplemented by hallucinations, delusions, and severe drowsiness.

If the eaten parts of the mushrooms contained mainly muscaridine, then after 1-2 hours symptoms reminiscent of toadstool poisoning appear.

This:

vomit;
diarrhea;
a decrease in the amount of urine, but increased sweating is added to them;
salivation;
decrease in heart rate.

Psilocybe mushroom poisoning

These are hallucinogenic mushrooms that contain the poisons psilocybin and psilocin. When they are eaten, the following occurs:

heavy sweating;
decreased blood pressure;
dilation of the pupils, a person feels and behaves as if drunk.

There is no period of imaginary prosperity. After the initial manifestations subside, psychoses develop, accompanied by hallucinations, disorientation in place and time appears, as well as depression, sometimes so strong that the person resorts to suicide.

Poisoning by strings or large numbers of morels

The poison of these mushrooms is gyromitrin. Its main effect is to cause the breakdown of red blood cells. As a result, there are:

vomit;
diarrhea;
jaundice;
swelling;
severe drowsiness;
in severe cases, convulsions appear,
consciousness is depressed to the point of coma.

This is fatal.

Poisoning with mildly poisonous mushrooms, whose toxins affect the gastrointestinal tract

Poisonous mushrooms have this effect:

Satanic,
pink plastic giant,
tiger row,
as well as conditionally edible: oak - speckled, olive-brown, milkweed, russula.

And if poisonous mushrooms cause the symptoms listed below when consumed even in small quantities, then conditionally edible mushrooms cause the symptoms listed below when consumed incorrectly.

Signs of poisoning by these mushrooms are:

vomit;
diarrhea;
body heat;
pain localized in the abdomen;
in severe cases, in children and the elderly – convulsions, depression of consciousness.

Poisoning by dung mushrooms

These mushrooms are considered conditionally edible, and if you do not drink alcohol with them and 1-2 days after eating them, poisoning will not occur.

But if you drink alcohol and consume them, the poison coprine, which they contain, inhibits the enzyme that breaks down alcohol - aldehyde oxidase. Then ethanol is retained in the body and has a toxic effect for 2-3 days. This shows up:

feeling of anxiety;
redness of the face;
decreased heart rate;
spasms in the intestines.

Poisoning with edible mushrooms

These are conditions caused by bacteria contained in mushrooms, parasite residues or toxins that have been drawn out of the soil.

Such poisonings are usually mild and do not lead to death.

Champignon poisoning

It occurs when the yellow-skinned or flat-capped species of these fungi are eaten, as they contain weak toxins. Poisoning is manifested by vomiting and diarrhea, which develop 2-3 hours after eating.

Honey mushroom poisoning

Heavy metals are easily deposited in these mushrooms if they are present in the soil. This causes cramping abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea.

Mold intoxication on mushrooms

If mold fungi formed on mushrooms during improper storage enter the respiratory tract, an allergic reaction develops: the release of a large amount of mucous discharge from the nose, attacks of dry cough, itchy rashes protruding above the skin.

When mold enters the digestive system, after 2-3 hours symptoms of gastrointestinal damage appear: abdominal cramps, vomiting, diarrhea. This is accompanied by symptoms of general intoxication: loss of appetite, weakness, headaches.

Poisoning with pickled mushrooms

This situation is possible if: an insufficiently acidic marinade is used for preservation; insufficient thermal or mechanical (washing) processing of products was carried out; Poisonous mushrooms are used.

The symptoms that develop in the first two cases are vomiting, cramping abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, drooling, and sometimes even confusion.

They appear 2-3 hours after eating such a product.

If the jar contained at least one mushroom with a toxic poison, the symptoms that are characteristic of this poison are observed. They depend on the type of mushroom and are listed above.

Features of poisoning in childhood

Mushroom poisoning in children has the same symptoms as in adults, but the intoxication is more severe. This is due to a richer blood supply to the intestines, from where poisons are absorbed into the blood, and a faster course of metabolic processes.

So, in case of poisoning with toadstool, vomiting and diarrhea - the first symptoms - will develop within 4-8 hours and will be profuse.

The imaginary well-being will not be so long-lasting, after which severe drowsiness, loss of appetite, jaundice, and decreased urine volume will appear.

The same applies to intoxication with other poisonous, conditionally edible and edible mushrooms.

An additional feature of children is that when picking mushrooms, they can pay attention to and eat various poisonous berries or plants.

Such intoxication with mushrooms and plants will be characterized by a combination of symptoms. Therefore, now we will look at what manifestations of poisoning with other poisonous representatives of the flora occur.

Symptoms of poisoning by poisonous plants

There are quite a lot of poisonous plants growing in our country, so it makes no sense to describe each one separately within the framework of this article. We will look at the symptoms of poisoning by group of plants, depending on which internal organs they primarily affect.

When poisoning by poisonous plants and mushrooms occurs simultaneously, the signs of organ damage are cumulative and intensified.

Poisonous plants that affect the nervous system

These representatives of the flora include hemlock, belladonna, datura, hemlock, henbane, and aconite.

Eating them is manifested by:

dilated pupils;
vomiting;
diarrhea;
the appearance of seizures;
in severe cases, a child (less often an adult) loses consciousness, and the rhythm of his heart and breathing may be disturbed.

Poisonous plants that affect the heart

These include cheremitsa, oleander, hellebore, and also, oddly enough, those plants that are used to treat the heart: lily of the valley and foxglove.

Poisoning by such plants begins with symptoms of damage to the gastrointestinal tract:

nausea,
pain in the pit of the stomach,
vomiting, diarrhea.

The head begins to hurt badly, the heart rhythm is disturbed - the pulse becomes rare.

Due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, motor agitation and blurred vision may appear; in severe cases - convulsions and loss of consciousness.

Poisonous plants that affect the stomach and intestines

These are elderberry, bindweed, nightshade (black and bittersweet), mistletoe, honeysuckle, whitewing, wolf's bast, crow, privet, raven's eye.

Intoxication with one of them is manifested by abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and salivation.

If a person (most often a child) has also eaten a poisonous mushroom, especially one that does not provoke vomiting and diarrhea, but immediately causes damage to internal organs (for example, fly agaric or psilocybes), then vomiting and diarrhea simultaneously reduce the degree of damage, and confuse the clinical picture.

Poisoning from poisonous berries

When poisoning with mushrooms and berries occurs, the symptoms of one and the other intoxication are summed up.

Let us describe the signs of poisoning with the main berries growing in most regions of our country.

Wolfberry poisoning

The second name of this berry is privet. It grows in forests and forest-steppes; The fruits are red and black, similar to bird cherry.

Symptoms of poisoning by the toxin mesereine contained in this berry are:

burning in the stomach area,
diarrhea.
If the juice gets on the skin, it turns red and blisters appear on it;
if it gets into your eyes, tears begin to flow and your eyes turn red.

Lily of the valley berry poisoning

Lily of the valley blooms in May, and at the end of summer small pinkish berries appear on its stem, which can attract the attention of a child.

Poisoning with lily of the valley berries causes headaches, decreased heart rate, constricted pupils, and tinnitus.

How long does it take for symptoms to appear?

After a short time, within 2-3 hours (depending on the weight of the person himself and the number of berries taken).

After these signs, after 2-3 hours the following symptoms appear: weakness, nausea and vomiting, fever, abdominal cramps, diarrhea.

Crow's eye poisoning

The poison of this plant is called paristifin. When eating 2-3 berries, poisoning will not occur, but if the burning sensation in the mouth does not stop, and you want to eat 7 berries or more, the following will develop:

nausea and vomiting;
burning in the stomach area;
cramping abdominal pain;
diarrhea;
headache;
dizziness.

If you have eaten a lot of berries, your mouth and nose begin to dry out, photophobia appears, and speech and swallowing may be impaired.

Severe poisoning is characterized by the appearance of seizures and disruption of the heart; Cardiac arrest may even occur.

Wolf berry poisoning

It causes damage to the stomach, intestines, kidneys and liver. This shows up:

burning sensation in the mouth and throat;
pain in the pit of the stomach;
vomiting;
drooling;
swallowing disorders;
diarrhea;
the appearance of blood in the stool and urine.

Over time, the condition worsens: dizziness begins, weakness and apathy develop. There may be seizures, jaundice and even cardiac arrest.

Belladonna berry poisoning

The first symptoms become noticeable almost immediately: the person receives a “charge of energy”, becomes full of ideas, fun, and excitement; can joke, laugh and dance.

After 10-20 minutes this is complemented:

increased heart rate;
feeling of heat along with redness of the face;
dry mouth;
dilated pupils that stop responding to light;
a description of the bright colors of the world;
constant talkativeness;
sometimes - aggression.

All this lasts 8-12 hours, after which the person is exhausted, calms down, and falls asleep very soundly.

In case of severe poisoning, within a few minutes the victim becomes disoriented in place and time; he is restless and constantly tries to move, even while lying in bed. His temperature rises, blood pressure drops, and rapid breathing appears; the lips turn blue. Cardiac or respiratory arrest can develop quite quickly.

Algorithm of action for poisoning with mushrooms, berries and poisonous plants

First aid for poisoning is very important. Proper implementation significantly increases a person’s chances of a favorable outcome.

It should be aimed at:

calling specialized medical care;
removal of poisons from the gastrointestinal tract before they have time to be absorbed into the blood;
increasing the supply of oxygen to the victim so that his organs can more easily cope with the poison.

It is important to know that mushroom poisoning will not go away on its own. If you have eaten this product and even minimal, in your opinion, symptoms appear (weakness, nausea), calling an ambulance is mandatory.

So, the instructions for mushroom poisoning are as follows:

1. Call an ambulance.

Transportation on your own is possible only if you live too far from the city and doctors will not reach you within an hour.

2. Remove tight clothing.

3. Open windows and doors (weather permitting) to allow in fresh air.

Flush your stomach:

Give a liter (4-5 glasses) of cool water to drink, then try to induce vomiting by pressing on the root of the tongue with a spoon or fingers. Children - approximately 100 ml per year of life, that is, a 5-year-old child should be given 500 ml to drink;
repeat the manipulation 3-4 times.

It is optimal if activated carbon, Polysorb or Enterosgel, crushed into powder, is dissolved in the water for gastric lavage.

1. Give an oil laxative inside: castor, vaseline or the most common sunflower oil, which will coat the intestinal walls, preventing further absorption of the poison. This must be done even if there is diarrhea. And don’t be scared by copious loose stools: this is how the body tries to get rid of the toxin, and your task is to help it.

2. Optimally - do an enema, even against the background of a laxative, even against the background of diarrhea.

3. It is necessary to give “Activated carbon”, “Smecta” (better for children), “Polysorb” or “Enterosgel”.

4. Return water that is lost with diarrhea and vomiting: let’s drink either a solution of “Regidron” or “Oralit”, or a solution where 2 tablespoons are taken per 1 liter of warm water. sugar and 0.5 tsp. salt.

You should drink water in small sips. Adults - in a volume of at least 3 liters (if there is diarrhea and vomiting), about 1.5 liters - if there are heart rhythm disturbances or shortness of breath. For children - a little, a teaspoon every 5 minutes, at a rate of 80 ml/kg/day.

What to do if you are poisoned by berries and plants?

The algorithm is exactly the same.

It is added only by giving pieces of ice or drinking 1 ampoule of a 0.5% novocaine solution - if there is a strong burning sensation in the mouth, throat or stomach.

In case of belladonna poisoning, gastric lavage should be done either with a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate or with weak black tea.

The tannin contained in such solutions will additionally bind the poison of this plant.

Potassium permanganate and tea can be used to rinse the stomach in case of any poisoning.

Source:

Botulism

Improperly prepared or stored mushrooms, such as canned mushrooms, can cause botulism.

Botulism is a serious and serious disease that develops as a result of an infection entering the body, located mainly in the ground, next to the spores of the mycelium. If the mushroom is poorly washed, peeled, or not sufficiently boiled, an infection can enter the body.

The first signs of botulism appear 12-72 hours after eating mushrooms.

The main symptoms of botulism are:

Nausea and vomiting;
Visual impairment (everything floats, doubles);
Convulsions;
Diarrhea;
Headache;
Labored breathing;
Dry mouth.

Important! At the first signs of botulism, i.e. After eating canned mushrooms, consult a doctor immediately!

Types and characteristics of poisonous mushrooms

There are a large number of mushrooms, some of them are conditionally poisonous and cause poisoning only under a certain number of circumstances, while others are absolutely poisonous and can even lead to death. Each poisonous mushroom has its own characteristics, in addition, they all contain different toxic substances, and, therefore, cause different symptoms.

The most famous poisonous mushrooms

As we know, cap mushrooms can be divided into lamellar and tubular. This difference can be seen if you look at the bottom of the mushroom cap. It should be noted that the most dangerous poisonous mushrooms are lamellar mushrooms.

Since there are a lot of poisonous mushrooms, we will consider only a few of them:

Poisonous entoloma has several varieties, one of which is spring entomola. The toxic substances that make up this mushroom tend to bind to blood proteins, causing strong signs of poisoning, but are not fatal.
Patouillard fiber - it is quite difficult to distinguish this mushroom from edible ones, however, if you break the cap, a strong smell of alcohol will appear - this feature is key, and helps to distinguish this mushroom from other species. The spores contain muscarine and other toxic substances, so it is strictly forbidden to inhale it. In addition, this mushroom is extremely poisonous when eaten even in small quantities and can be fatal.
Amanita - there are such species as: spring, stinking, toadstool, panther, gray and red. The spring fly agaric contains muscarinic poisons, which cause death with minimal exposure to the human body.

The stinking fly agaric has an unpleasant odor, and the composition of toxic substances is similar to the pale toadstool.
The toadstool has the greatest resemblance to the pale grebe, not only in the composition of toxic substances, but also in appearance.
The panther fly agaric has a similar coloration to the red fly agaric, but its appearance is not as bright. In addition, panther fly agaric is much more poisonous than red fly agaric, since it contains not only muscarinic toxic substances, but also scopalamine and hyocyamine. This mix of poisons leaves no chance of survival for a person who has consumed panther fly agaric. It should be noted that in the place where this mushroom grows there are absolutely no midges and insects, since they die when they inhale its smell.
The gray fly agaric is a type of mushroom that also contains muscarinic toxins.
The red fly agaric has a bright color, which by its appearance warns of danger. The fungus contains poisons that tend to penetrate the skin and also affect the parasympathetic nervous system. The pulp of the mushroom contains a high concentration of cholines, muscarinic poisons, putrescine, iboteic acid, bufotenine and betaine.

The gall mushroom is quite often mistaken for edible porcini mushrooms, but the main differences are the pronounced bitter taste and the color of the mushroom cap on the underside. Due to the strong bitter taste, gall fungus poisoning is quite rare, however, if it occurs, it can take a long time to appear.
Pale toadstool looks like russula or champignons, depending on the growth period. Even heat treatment of the mushroom does not reduce its toxic properties, and the first symptoms of poisoning may not appear for more than a day. Less than half of an adult mushroom eaten is fatal.
Brick-red false mushrooms have a pronounced property of camouflaging themselves as normal types of mushrooms, and therefore often fall into the “catch” of a mushroom picker. A distinctive feature of false mushrooms is considered to be the missing dense ring on the stem of the mushroom, which is necessarily observed in edible autumn mushrooms. Poisoning with false honey mushrooms affects the central nervous system and cardiovascular system, and without proper assistance it can lead to coma and death.

After reading the information about some types of mushrooms, it becomes clear that the time the first signs appear depends on the amount of mushrooms consumed, as well as on their type. So, signs of poisoning can appear within a few minutes, hours, in the first day, or make themselves felt after a couple of weeks.

Often you feel sick immediately a few minutes after eating

First aid for mushroom poisoning

What to do if you are poisoned by mushrooms? The main thing is to remain calm!

Experts recommend following the following help instructions:

At the first symptoms, call a doctor immediately! If it is not possible to call a doctor, then try to take the patient to the nearest medical facility as soon as possible.
Maintain bed rest.
Drink plenty of liquid , this will help quickly remove toxins (poisonous substances) from the body and flush the stomach. This point is especially relevant for vomiting and diarrhea, since with these clinical manifestations the body also loses the fluid necessary for its normal functioning (dehydration). Cold water, chilled strong tea, mineral water, and a light pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) are good to drink.
Take enterosorbents - drugs that bind toxic substances and promote their rapid elimination from the body: “Activated carbon”, “White coal”, “Smecta”, “Enterosgel”.
If the patient is not vomiting and has no desire to go to the toilet, a laxative is given and an enema is given to remove toxins from the body. This will speed up the introduction of poisons from the intestines.
Symptomatic treatment:

In case of breathing problems: Atropine is administered subcutaneously.
At elevated temperatures: Ibuprofen, Paracetamol.
For dehydration: “Regidron”, “Litrozol”, “Oralit”.
In case of severe poisoning with poisonous mushrooms, blood transfusions and hemodialysis may be used, and glucose and insulin may be administered intravenously.

Important! For an accurate diagnosis, potentially poisonous mushrooms that have poisoned the patient cannot be thrown away - they must be given to a doctor for examination.

A gentle diet is prescribed , which is aimed at quickly restoring the functionality of the digestive system. The diet includes avoiding fatty, spicy, smoked and other heavy foods, alcoholic beverages, and smoking. The menu should include steamed or boiled, chopped vegetables, fruits, and light soups.

If proper assistance is provided, recovery occurs within 1-2 days. In case of severe poisoning, treatment of poisoning and restoration of health can take up to a month.

Causes

You can be poisoned not only by poisonous mushrooms, but in about 1/3 of cases, poisoning occurs with edible or conditionally edible species of mushrooms, since not only the presence of poisons in the mushroom composition plays a role, but also many other factors.

Let's look at the reasons why poisoning occurs:

When eating poisonous mushrooms, the main reason is the effect of the toxins that make up the mushroom on the body. The severity of the poisoning and which body system will be attacked first depend on the type of fungus.
When any type of mushroom is cooked incorrectly, toxins are released from bacteria, which actively multiply due to improper cooking. A prime example in this case is botulism.
Eating mushrooms of low quality - wormy, old, infected with mushroom flies, growing in contaminated soil, near highways or in an industrial zone. In this case, mushrooms are able to accumulate heavy metal salts and toxins from the outside, and cause poisoning.
Incorrect storage conditions for fresh or already cooked mushrooms.
Drinking alcohol together with certain types of mushrooms.
Individual intolerance to this type of mushroom, or consumption of mushrooms in childhood.

It is not advisable for children under three years of age to eat forest meat.

Note! Abuse of edible mushrooms in large quantities can also cause poisoning and cause disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.

Toadstool

The pale grebe lives up to its name 100%. It really ruins a person’s life to the maximum. This is the most dangerous mushroom, as it contains a huge amount of toxins: a small piece of such a mushroom is enough to cause fatal poisoning.

Moreover, the toxins in it are insidious, they enter the stomach, and then are absorbed into the blood and for at least a couple of days do not have an external effect, while active destructive work is going on inside. Moreover, there are often situations when toxins, having reached certain organs and penetrated into them, carry out their subversive activities secretly. Changes at this moment occur irreversibly. For example, necrosis of the liver or kidneys may develop.

Symptoms of poisoning appear when toxins reach the brain or affect nerve centers. Then we can note the appearance of such characteristic symptoms as vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, thirst and signals that the body is starving (both water and oxygen), and pressure begins to drop.

According to statistics, up to 95% of mushroom poisonings occur precisely because of eating toadstool. It also happens that, against the background of poor health, some improvement occurs, but this is a deceptive signal: by this moment, as a rule, all the main organs have already been affected. The probability of death from consuming toadstool is 8-30%.

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