Help with mushroom poisoning

Mushroom poisoning is a very common occurrence, especially during the season of mushroom preparation and collection. One of the reasons is considered to be the consumption of obviously inedible or improperly prepared mushrooms. Any mushroom picker, and any person who is not indifferent to eating mushroom dishes, needs to know how to provide assistance in case of mushroom poisoning, because under certain conditions it can save someone's life.

Once in the digestive system, the “wrong” mushroom begins to release toxic substances that enter the circulatory system and spread to all organs and systems, damaging and disrupting their functions.

First of all, the internal membranes of the digestive organs begin to suffer, which entails a disorder of the digestive process. Then the toxins spread inside the body, affecting the urinary system, liver, central nervous system and heart.

The first signs of intoxication appear within six hours to three days after the dish has been eaten. The initial symptoms cannot be missed – this may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, loose, profuse stool. Acute renal and hepatic failure develops. If the nervous system is affected, lethargy, impaired consciousness, and hallucinogenic disorders are observed.

What should be the first aid for poisoning by poisonous mushrooms?

First aid for mushroom poisoning

The death cap contains toxic alkaloids in large quantities, and they are not destroyed either by heat treatment (even long-term) or by drying. Toxic substances penetrate from the digestive system into the bloodstream in a very short time and accumulate in the liver. The latent period of death cap poisoning can range from 6 to 24 hours. Then vomiting, colic and pain in the abdomen, diarrhea (possibly with blood) appear. Collapse, hallucinations and a comatose state develop relatively quickly. In case of death cap poisoning, it is necessary to immediately wash out the stomach, then give a saline laxative orally (Glauber's, bitter, Carlsbad salts) and urgently call an ambulance. Upon arrival of the doctor, the victim will be given atropine, lipoic acid. In the hospital, hemodialysis, hemosorption, as well as detoxification therapy with saline solution are possible.

• When poisoned by fly agaric, specific toxins muscarine and muscaridine enter the blood. These substances can be destroyed when the mushrooms are boiled, but some of them still remain, exerting a neurotoxic effect on the body. If signs of intoxication are detected (usually they occur 1-6 hours after eating the mushroom), it is necessary to immediately seek emergency care, wash the stomach and intestines of the victim, and give him plenty of fluids to drink.
• When eating other conditionally edible mushrooms, symptoms of poisoning may occur after improper cooking or insufficient heat treatment. What to do in such a situation?
  • Rinse the stomach by asking the victim to drink 1-1.5 liters of water (in one sitting), possibly with the addition of milk. After this, by pressing with your fingers or a spoon on the root of the tongue, you need to induce vomiting. This should be repeated 3 to 5 times.
  • Place the patient horizontally and apply bottles of warm water or heating pads to the limbs.
  • Until the doctors arrive, it is necessary to constantly give the victim warm drinks (water, milk, tea).

If it is not possible to call an ambulance, you should immediately take the patient to the nearest medical facility yourself.

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Rules of first aid in case of mushroom poisoning

1. Assistance to the victim must be provided quickly and without delay.
2. "Emergency assistance" is called under any circumstances.
3. It is important to remove the remaining food from the digestive system (not only from the stomach, but also from the intestines) as soon as possible. To do this, perform a gastric lavage (you can simply induce multiple vomiting by rinsing the stomach cavity with liquid several times), and also provoke profuse defecation by taking a laxative or giving an enema (if there is profuse loose stool, then this stage can be skipped).
4. After a high-quality gastric lavage, it is recommended to give the victim a large amount of sorbent drugs (for example, activated carbon, at least 20-30 tablets at a time, washed down with plenty of water).
5. The next stage of pre-hospital care is to reduce the concentration of toxic substances that have already entered the bloodstream. To do this, the patient should constantly, until the arrival of doctors, drink warm liquid - this can be water (preferably alkaline mineral) or black tea.

After all procedures have been completed, delivery of the victim to a medical facility remains mandatory.

To avoid poisoning, follow safety rules:

• do not collect unfamiliar or suspicious mushrooms;
• do not buy mushrooms at spontaneous markets from strangers (this applies not only to fresh mushrooms, but also to dried and canned mushrooms);
• Do not eat canned food with swollen lids or signs of fermentation, or with a suspicious smell or color;
• Prepare mushrooms according to all the rules, pre-soaking and boiling them.

Help with mushroom poisoning may not be needed if you perform a simple and accessible test while preparing a mushroom dish: throw a peeled and cut in half white onion into a pot with the mushrooms being cooked. If there is a poisonous mushroom in the dish, the onion will turn blue. Take care of yourself!