Published: May 27, 2012
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As Memorial Day ushers in the warm, humid days of summer, emergency department staff have to keep a watchful eye out for seemingly simple gastroenteritis cases that may actually be a much more harmful condition -- mushroom toxicity.
Although rare, mushroom toxicity can lead to liver failure or death if not treated appropriately, and it may be cropping up in areas where it's least expected, researchers say.
Last summer, for instance, four patients in the Washington, D.C. area were treated for mushroom poisoning over a 2-week period at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH), Maiyen Tran Hawkins, DO, and colleagues reported at Digestive Disease Week in San Diego last week.
"Patients typically present with diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, maybe vomiting, and it sounds a lot like viral gastroenteritis," Tran Hawkins told MedPage Today. "They go to the ER, and initially their blood work might be normal or maybe they just look a little dehydrated, so they get sent home."
But after a brief period of what seems to be recovery, patients can fall into severe liver failure, she said.
"They come back
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