The little patient could be treated correctly thanks to the determination of the fungus by the expert.
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“The parents behaved perfectly,” reports senior doctor Demirdelen. They took the mushroom, which their son bit and then vomited several times, to the children’s emergency room of the Helios Klinikum Pforzheim. Although the child showed no signs of severe poisoning, caution is always advised with mushrooms: “Especially highly toxic specimens cause symptoms only after several hours or even days,” explains the senior doctor. The evaluation of a specialist is therefore “of enormous importance”.
Ilse Schopper from Zaberfeld-Michelbach in the Heilbronn district was sent to the poison center in Freiburg / Breisgau on 0761 19240. She is one of the approximately 500 honorary mushroom experts of the German Mycology Society and sometimes travels to the Calw area in case of emergency. When she arrives at Helios Klinikum Pforzheim around 11pm, she can clearly identify the mushroom as Karbolchampignon or Karbol-Egerling, a slightly poisonous mushroom that confusingly resembles the mushroom but causes gastrointestinal problems. The administration of activated charcoal helped the two-year-old boy. “Activated charcoal doesn’t taste good at all to our little patients,” Demirdelen says, “but it binds toxins and prevents them from being absorbed by the body.” After a week or two of adequate fluid intake, the baby is no longer expected to have any effect.
Prompt action is required in the event of complaints
Whether they are mildly toxic or deadly, if you experience symptoms after eating mushrooms, you need to act quickly, because highly toxic mushrooms cause irreparable damage to organs such as the kidneys or liver. “A wide variety of symptoms are conceivable, from vomiting and diarrhea to seizures, sleepiness and jaundice,” says senior physician Demirdelen. Especially with children, the following applies: “Keep calm, call the poison control center and, if possible, bring mushrooms or vomit with you,” he points out. In addition to activated charcoal, gastric lavage, anticonvulsant drugs or the appropriate antidote, i.e. an antidote, would also be used. Doctors always coordinate closely with the poison control center.
The good news is: “Mushroom poisoning like that of our little patient only occurs once or twice a year and is usually not a problem,” says Demirdelen, also thanks to the support of volunteer experts such as Ilse Schopper. “Your dedication doesn’t have to be credited enough to her – we just wanted to thank you for it.”
For Ilse Schopper, this mission is not the first of this year, but one of the most serious. “We have a strong mushroom year, especially poisonous mushrooms often end up in baskets,” says the expert. Many collectors send photos of their mushrooms or come to her home for a free basket check. “Currently you can do ten checks a day,” says the retiree, who also offers guided tours and courses. The topic of mushrooms is very current today, but: “People often take harvesting too lightly,” she notes. About eight deadly poisonous mushrooms grow in the local forests, such as the death cap mushroom or some parasols. Too often such specimens are discovered even with experienced collectors. “Unfortunately, there is no rule of thumb for poisonous mushrooms,” Schopper explains. Even inedible varieties are not recognizable by their taste, on the contrary: “The highly poisonous death cap mushrooms, in particular, are really tasty.” Often it is spoiled or undercooked mushrooms that lead to poisoning. For safety, Ilse Schopper recommends that you always have the cage inspected.
The closest mushroom expert can be found on the website of the German Society of Mycology: www.dgfm-ev.de
