Hemlock (Conium Maculatum) Poisoning In A Child (original) (raw)
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A Case of Respiratory Failure Due to Poison Hemlock Poisoning Presented to an Emergency Department
Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine
Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is one of the most poisonous plants in the world. Accidental ingestion of the plant could result in central nervous system depression, respiratory failure and even death. Airway and breathing management followed by fluid resuscitation is the mainstay of treatment. Poison hemlock poisoning is an important differential diagnosis for patients with impaired consciousness and respiratory failure after plant ingestion in areas of natural habitat for the plant. Early and proper diagnosis is vital for patients with poison hemlock poisoning. In this report, we present a case of life-threatening poisoning due to taking the poison hemlock mistaken for Helichrysum arenarium.
Conium maculatum intoxication: Literature review and case report on hemlock poisoning
Forensic science review, 2019
The aim of this paper is to highlight the symptomatology in three Conium maculatum intoxication incidents, one of which was fatal. A number of studies were reviewed in order to update and summarize the relevant literature on the incidence, sociodemographic variables, method of poisoning, pathophysiology, diagnosis, variables associated with survival and fatality, management, and treatment of C. maculatum intoxication as well as the biosynthesis and biological effects of poison hemlock alkaloids. Results show that hemlock poisoning is relatively rare, although incidence varies in different regions, despite its worldwide distribution. Hemlock poisoning is more common in European and especially Mediterranean countries. The majority of the patients are adult males over 38 years of age. The clinical course of hemlock poisoning includes neurotoxicosis, tremor, vomiting, muscle paralysis, respiratory paralysis/failure, rhabdomyolysis, and acute renal failure. The therapeutic management foc...
Intravenous Poison Hemlock Injection Resulting in Prolonged Respiratory Failure and Encephalopathy
Journal of Medical Toxicology, 2017
Background Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is a common plant with a significant toxicity. Data on this toxicity is sparse as there have been few case reports and never a documented poisoning after intravenous injection. Objectives We present a case of intravenous poison hemlock injection encountered in the emergency department. Case Report We describe a 30-year-old male who presented to the emergency department after a brief cardiac arrest after injecting poison hemlock. The patient had return of spontaneous circulation in the emergency department but had prolonged muscular weakness and encephalopathy later requiring tracheostomy. Conclusion Intravenous injection of poison hemlock alkaloids can result in significant toxicity, including cardiopulmonary arrest, prolonged weakness, and encephalopathy.
Original Contribution INTOXICATION WITH POISON HEMLOCK (CONIUM MACULATUM L.) IN CALVES
2007
The case of spontaneous poisoning of 38 calves with Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) was described. The following indices were measured, among others: haemoglobin content (HGB), red blood cell counts (RBC), white blood cell counts (WBC), haematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), differential white cell counts (DWC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), etc. The resulting intoxication was accompanied by altered clinical status, some of which were: hyperthermia, tachycardia, polypnoea with dyspnoea, etc. There were also changes in clinical chemistry indices. The observed clinical signs, the changes in haematological and biochemical indices in blood, morphological alterations and the applied therapy could be used in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) intoxication.
Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum L.)
Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2004
One of the most poisonous species amongst higher plants is Conium maculatum. It is a very common nitrophile weed species, belonging to the Apiaceae (formerly Umbelliferae) family. It contains some piperidine alkaloids (coniine, N-methyl-coniine, conhydrine, pseudoconhydrine, c-coniceine), which are formed by the cyclisation of an eight-carbon chain derived from four acetate units. c-Coniceine is the precursor of the other hemlock alkaloids. All vegetative organs, flowers and fruits contain alkaloids. The concentrations (both absolute and relative) of the different alkaloids depend on plant varieties, on ecological conditions and on the age of the plant. The characteristic biological effects of the plants are summarised on cattle, sheep, goat, swine, rabbit, elk, birds and insects and the symptoms of the human toxicosis (some cases of poisonings) are discussed according to the literature data. The general symptoms of hemlock poisoning are effects on nervous system (stimulation followed by paralysis of motor nerve endings and CNS stimulation and later depression), vomiting, trembling, problems in movement, slow and weak later rapid pulse, rapid respiration, salivation, urination, nausea, convulsions, coma and death.
Acute plant poisoning: Analysis of clinical features and circumstances of exposure
Introduction. Human contact with potentially toxic plants, which may occur through abuse or by accident or attempted suicide, is frequent and sometimes results in clinically signifi cant toxicity. Objective. The aim of the present study was to identify which plants may lead to severe poisoning, and to defi ne the clinical relevance of plant toxicity for humans in Switzerland. Methods. We analyzed 42 193 cases of human plant exposure and 255 acute moderate, severe, and lethal poisonings, which were reported to the Swiss Toxicological Information Centre between January 1995 and December 2009. Results. Plant contact was rarely responsible for serious poisonings. Lethal intoxications were extremely rare and were caused by plants with cardiotoxic (Taxus baccata) or mitosis-inhibiting (Colchicum autumnale) properties. Conclusions. Most often, plant contact was accidental and patients remained asymptomatic or developed mild symptoms, which fully resolved within a short time.
Plant toxins and acute medicinal plant poisoning in children: A systematic literature review
Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2018
for different therapeutic purposes including treatment of gastrointestinal tract and digestive diseases caused by microbial contamination. [8] In this regard, various indigenous medicinal plants such as Cassia siamea, Flueggea virosa, Terminalia bellirica, and Terminalia chebula are used in different communities for the treatment of certain diseases such as malaria and gastrointestinal disease or as remedy in infants and children. [9] It is estimated that close to 80% of people in different communities use different types of traditional medicine for the treatment of various disease. [10] Nowadays, the use of natural remedies even in developed countries has become prevalent and these herbal products are routinely used in 18% of pediatrics institutions and 94% of other communities in Canada only for the treatment of various disease in children. [11] It is shown that near to 20,000 herbal products are currently available on the market overall the world, and the annual trade turnover Background: For many years, medicinal plants and herbal therapy have been widely used in different societies for the treatment of various diseases. Besides their therapeutic potency, some of the medicinal plants have strong toxicity in human, especially in children and elderly. Despite common beliefs that natural products are safe, there have been few reports on their toxicities. Materials and Methods: In the present study, we aimed to systematically review the literature wherein acute plant poisoning and herbal intoxication have been reported in pediatric patients. After literature search and selection of the appropriate documents, the desired data were extracted and described qualitatively. Results: A total of 127 articles with overall 1453 intoxicated cases were collected. The results of this study showed that some medicinal plants can cause acute poisoning and complications such as hepatic and renal failure in children. Conclusion: The findings of this survey showed that acute plant poisoning can be life-threatening in children, and since a single-ingested dose of toxic plants can cause acute poisoning, parents should be aware of these toxic effects and compare the side effects of self-medication with its potential benefits.
Plant Related Poisonings in Children: An Evaluation of 23 Cases
İnönü Üniversitesi Turgut Özal Tıp Merkezi dergisi, 2014
Aim: Many plants and plant originated products cause poisonings in children in Turkey. This study aims to study 23 plant-derived poisoning cases admitted to Inonu University, Turgut Ozal Medical Center, Pediatrical Emergency Service in terms of agents of toxication and the clinical features in order to decrease the number of poisonings. Materials and Methods: Twenty three patients who applied to Pediatrical Emergency Service due to plant-derived poisoning between January 2010 and May 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. Cases were evaluated in accordance with their age, sex, cause of poisoning, symptoms at application, seasonal distribution, and prognosis. Results: There were 23 herbal poisoning cases, 1.9% of all cases admitted to the service due to poisoning, within eighteen months. Thirteen of these cases were males and 10 were females. Thirty-nine percent of plant originated poisoning cases were between 0-6 years of age; 34% of cases were between 13-17 years of age; and 26% of cases were between 5-12 years of age. The most common agents for plant originated poisoning were apricot seeds and sprouted potato. Mortality was not observed in our patients. However, as far as morbidity is concerned, one of our patients (4.3%) had to undergo liver transplantation due to cocklebur (Xanhti strumarium) poisoning. Conclusion: Like all the other types of poisonings, plant-derived poisonings appear as a significant problem during childhood. Preventive precautions, having a knowledge about the flora of the region and common toxic plants, and increasing the level of literacy in the community by educating the society may minimise mortality and morbidity.
Exposures and Intoxications after herb-induced poisoning: A retrospective hospital-based study
J. Pharm. Sci. & …, 2009
Many people believe that the plants are inherently safe and a useful tool for human health, because they are not considered "real drugs". An increasing number of cases of poisoning has been registered dating back from the mid-90s up to now. In order to highlight the entity of plant exposures and to develop appropriate poisoning prevention and information, a retrospective analysis of the plant poisoning over a 12 year period (1995-2007) has been carried out. The Poison Control Center of Milan records over a thousand cases of plant poisoning per year. One third of the cases involves children up to the age of 4 and the exposures originate mainly from accidental ingestion of houseplants or toxic plants around the house. In 15% of the cases adults were not able to give a description of the plant or to specify or describe the ingested part. More serious cases occur in adults who either erroneously confused a plant as edible or deliberately ingested a toxic plant. The incidence of plant poisoning depends on local customs, traditional recipes, nutritional factors, etc. It is important to identify the plants by their latin name, as common names vary from region to region and often the same common name is used to identify different plants.
2020
BACKGROUND Herbal medications are becoming increasingly popular with the impression that they cause fewer side effects in comparison with synthetic drugs; however, they may considerably contribute to acute or chronic poisoning incidents. Poison centers receive more than 100000 patients exposed to toxic plants. Most of these cases are inconsiderable toxicities involving pediatric ingestions of medicinal plants in low quantity. In most cases of serious poisonings, patients are adults who have either mistakenly consumed a poisonous plant as edible or ingested the plant regarding to its medicinal properties for therapy or toxic properties for illegal aims. METHODS In this article, we review the main human toxic plants causing mortality or the ones which account for emergency medical visits. Articles addressing "plant poisoning" in online databases were listed in order to establish the already reported human toxic cases. RESULTS The current review introduces herbal plants toxic...