Emergency: requires immediate attention
Mushroom poisoning
Alerts and Notices
Synopsis

Mushroom poisoning (also known as mycetism and mycetismus) occurs after consuming a toxic mushroom. Only 5% of all known mushroom species are poisonous, although new toxic mushroom species are continually identified. Misidentification of mushrooms is common. Mushroom poisoning presents differently based on the toxin consumed. Severity of the symptoms ranges from mild to deadly. Most fatal ingestions are due to consumption of Amanita phalloides.
The exact prevalence of mushroom poisoning fatalities is unknown but is thought to occur in the 100s each year. An increasing risk is emerging in parts of the world with a large influx of migrants, some of whom forage for food due to poor economic circumstances.
A key consideration in classifying type of mushroom poisoning has traditionally been time of onset of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Generally, but not universally, a latency of less than 6 hours portends limited toxicity. Conversely, if GI symptoms occur more than 6 hours after ingestion, a more serious clinical course should be considered. However, as more poisonous mushrooms continue to be discovered, this timeline paradigm continues to be modified and is becoming less of a reliable guideline for prognostication.
The exact prevalence of mushroom poisoning fatalities is unknown but is thought to occur in the 100s each year. An increasing risk is emerging in parts of the world with a large influx of migrants, some of whom forage for food due to poor economic circumstances.
A key consideration in classifying type of mushroom poisoning has traditionally been time of onset of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Generally, but not universally, a latency of less than 6 hours portends limited toxicity. Conversely, if GI symptoms occur more than 6 hours after ingestion, a more serious clinical course should be considered. However, as more poisonous mushrooms continue to be discovered, this timeline paradigm continues to be modified and is becoming less of a reliable guideline for prognostication.
Codes
ICD10CM:
T62.0X4A – Toxic effect of ingested mushrooms, undetermined, initial encounter
SNOMEDCT:
86505009 – Toxic effect from eating mushrooms
T62.0X4A – Toxic effect of ingested mushrooms, undetermined, initial encounter
SNOMEDCT:
86505009 – Toxic effect from eating mushrooms
Look For
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Diagnostic Pearls
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Other causes of acute kidney injury and acute liver injury
- Adrenal crisis
- Bacterial / viral gastroenteritis
- Food allergy
- Food poisoning
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- Psychedelic / hallucinogen usage
Best Tests
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Management Pearls
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Therapy
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Drug Reaction Data
Below is a list of drugs with literature evidence indicating an adverse association with this diagnosis. The list is continually updated through ongoing research and new medication approvals. Click on Citations to sort by number of citations or click on Medication to sort the medications alphabetically.
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References
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Last Reviewed:02/21/2019
Last Updated:07/16/2020
Last Updated:07/16/2020