Champignons are tasty and healthy mushrooms. They are used to prepare many dishes. However, mushroom poisoning is often noted. Therefore, collecting such mushrooms and buying them in a store requires special attention. Sometimes even a fresh product can cause severe intoxication. After all, mushrooms are able to accumulate poisonous substances from the environment in the leg and hat. Therefore, each person needs to know about the symptoms and treatment of mushroom poisoning in order to help the patient in time. Let's consider this question in more detail.
Causes of poisoning
Champignons are edible mushrooms and do not contain natural poisons. Toxins in them are formed only under the influence of adverse factors. The following causes of mushroom poisoning with champignons can be distinguished:
- Violation of the rules of cultivation. Some unscrupulous growers may use chemicals to grow mushrooms quickly. Such substances are very harmful to health.
- Mushroom growth in a polluted area. Champignons absorb harmful substances from the environment. As a result, fungi are contaminated with toxins from exhaust gases, pesticides and nitrates.
- Expiration of storage. Often there is poisoning with champignons from the store. These mushrooms have a very short shelf life and deteriorate quickly. Pathogenic microbes are formed in them, which lead to intoxication. Therefore, in no case should you use an expired product. Fresh and high-quality champignons are white. Darkening of mushrooms is a sign of expiration.
- Collection and use of false champignons. These mushrooms are very similar to real mushrooms. However, they can be distinguished; when pressed on the pulp, the leg turns yellow or turns orange. False champignons cause severe poisoning.
- Inadequate processing of mushrooms. Champignons grow in the ground, so they need thorough washing and long-term heat treatment. Violation of these rules can lead to intoxication.
- Poor quality canned food. Poisoning with such a product is most dangerous. Canned mushrooms prepared in violation of the rules can lead to a serious illness - botulism. When buying a product, you must pay attention to the color of the brine and mushrooms.
Signs of intoxication
The first signs of mushroom poisoning appear about 5-6 hours after eating mushrooms. Symptoms of intoxication are rapidly increasing, the patient's condition is rapidly deteriorating.
First, general signs of the effects of toxins on the body appear: headache, weakness, dizziness. These symptoms of mushroom poisoning are especially pronounced if the fungus grew in contaminated conditions and accumulated a lot of harmful substances.
Then there is abdominal pain. It is quite intense and resembles intestinal colic. Vomiting and diarrhea appear several times a day. This leads to dehydration. The patient has a fever. With mild poisoning, such symptoms disappear on their own within a few days.
In severe cases, after 1-2 days, the next stage of intoxication develops. Dyspeptic symptoms gradually subside. There are signs of kidney and liver damage. The patient decreases urination. There is severity and pain in the right side, the skin turns yellow. If the patient is not helped in time, then a fatal outcome may occur due to insufficient liver and kidney function.
Canned Food Poisoning
Intoxication with a canned product is usually more difficult. In this case, the symptoms of mushroom poisoning with champignons will depend on the type of toxin or bacteria:
- As already mentioned, champignons can accumulate harmful substances from the environment. When using canned food from such mushrooms, a person has a headache, weakness, malaise, dizziness. Dyspeptic symptoms usually do not develop.
- If bacteria got into the jar of canned food, then a clinical picture of food poisoning with abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea occurs.
- The most dangerous type of poisoning by canned mushrooms is botulism. This disease is caused by botulinum toxin. Champignons can grow in soil contaminated with clostridia. When canning poorly washed mushrooms, these bacteria fall into a jar. Under anaerobic conditions, clostridia secrete a toxin, which becomes the cause of botulism. At the first stage, this disease is accompanied by dyspeptic symptoms. Then there are neurological manifestations: double vision, impaired vision, impaired movement, swallowing and breathing.
Poisoning in pregnant women
Champignon poisoning is especially dangerous for pregnant women. Intoxication can cause developmental abnormalities in the unborn child or miscarriage. Poisonous substances cross the placenta and infect the fetus.
During pregnancy, it is better to avoid eating mushrooms collected in the forest or purchased on the market. They may be contaminated with toxins. When buying champignons in the store, you need to pay attention to their appearance and shelf life.
Features of intoxication in children
Mushrooms are rich in protein, which is difficult to digest and absorb in the children's body. Even a fresh product can lead to intestinal obstruction, gastritis or cholecystitis in a child. Therefore, children under 10 years old should not be given mushrooms and other mushrooms.
When eating stale mushrooms, the child’s body does not cope with toxins well. Therefore, poisoning is more severe than in an adult. Severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting and diarrhea, respiratory failure appear. Even a small amount of poor-quality product in a child can lead to severe impairment of kidney and liver function.
Complications
Champignon poisoning can cause serious complications. Most often, the following effects of intoxication are observed:
- Dehydration. During vomiting and diarrhea, the body loses a large amount of fluid. This leads to a violation of water-electrolyte metabolism. With dehydration, there is a sharp decrease in urination, tachycardia, weakness, and a drop in blood pressure.
- Gastritis. Due to damage to the stomach by toxins, inflammation of the mucous organ occurs. In patients with chronic gastritis, an exacerbation of the disease is possible.
- Pancreatitis Against the background of intoxication, acute or chronic inflammation of the pancreas can occur. This disease is accompanied by girdle pain in the abdominal cavity and fever.
First aid
Champignon poisoning requires urgent medical attention. It is impossible to cure intoxication at home. Therefore, when symptoms of poisoning appear, you must immediately call an ambulance. At the pre-medical stage, you need to carry out the following treatment measures:
- Cleansing the stomach. This will help remove residual toxins from the stomach. You need to drink about 1 liter of water, and then click on the root of the tongue and induce vomiting. If necessary, the procedure is repeated several times.
- Cleansing enema. This procedure removes toxic substances from the intestines. For an enema, it is better to use boiled water at room temperature. The procedure is repeated until clean rinsing water begins to come out of the intestine.
- Reception of enterosorbents. The patient is given one of the drugs: activated carbon, Enterosgel, Smecta, Sorbex, Atoxil. These drugs bind poison particles and remove it from the body.
- Drink plenty. After cleansing the stomach, the patient should be given as much fluid as possible. You can drink plain or mineral water, as well as sweet tea. The liquid should be drunk in small sips so as not to induce vomiting.
Treatment
Treatment of poisoning is carried out in a hospital. Intoxication therapy is aimed at removing poisons and stabilizing the patient's condition. The patient is prescribed antispasmodics, antiemetics ("Cerucal", "Metoclopramide"), drugs to maintain cardiac activity and breathing. To combat dehydration and relieve intoxication, droppers are placed.
If the patient has signs of botulism, then the introduction of a special serum is necessary. Treatment of this condition is carried out in the intensive care unit.
Prevention
To avoid mushroom poisoning, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- It is possible to engage in self-collection of champignons only if you can distinguish edible mushroom from false.
- Do not pick the largest and oldest champignons. They usually contain the largest amount of harmful substances from the environment.
- You need to try to pick mushrooms in ecologically clean places.
- Mushrooms can not be stored for a long time.
- When buying canned mushrooms, you need to pay attention to the presence of can defects and shelf life. If the container is transparent, then you need to check the color of the brine (it should not be cloudy) and the condition of the mushrooms.
- It is undesirable to preserve champignons at home.
- You cannot purchase expired mushrooms at the store. If the champignons darkened, then this indicates their freshness. It is better to refuse such a purchase.
- Mushrooms should be washed thoroughly before cooking.
Following these simple measures will help to avoid serious poisoning and maintain good health.