Mushroom poisoning

In the research we included a total of 207 subjects with the dismissal diagnosis of "mycetismus", who were treated at the Department of Infectious Diseases, General Hospital Osijek, during the 1983-1992 period. 32 of them were children. There were 44.93% of men, 39.61% of women and 15.45% of children. The latent time > 6 hours was determined in 51 (25%) and < 6 hours in 75% of subjects. In 156 of patients with the latent time > 6 hours, "false" poisoning occured, while 51 patients experienced real mushroom toxins poisoning. At the admission to the hospital, in patients with the latent time > 6 hours, a pathological PT (protrombine time) was established only in women, leukocytosis in both women and children, increased concentration of GGT (gamma-glutamin-transferase) in men, increased AST (aspartate-aminotransferase) and ALT (alanin-aminotransferase) only in women, and increased urea in both women and children. After 24 hours, control measuring established high values of AST and ALT extended PT uremia and exalted amount of ammonia in blood in 11 of patients (2 men, 7 women and 2 children). They had severe liver and kidney damage, the most probably caused by Amanita phalloides toxins. The latent time lasted 9 to 13 hours. Of the 11 above mentioned patients, 2 women, aged 74 and 43, and one girl, aged 6, died. No pathological laboratory parameters were established in 40 of subjects with the latent time of 6 and more hours, and the disease manifested through vomiting and diarrhea that lasted for several days. These subjects most probably suffered from mushroom toxins poisoning. Mushroom toxins irritate the mucuous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, and there are many such poisonous mushrooms. There were no mortalities in this group of subjects.