Danger! Toxic mushrooms threaten: parents have to pay attention to toddlers!

Danger! Toxic mushrooms threaten: parents have to pay attention to toddlers!

Göttingen. The moist autumn air not only brings shimmering leaves, but also a dangerous harvest-the mushrooms sprout and with them the alarming inquiries to the poison emergency call. Especially toddlers who curiously take everything tastes are particularly at risk. The venereal information center north sounds the alarm!

In these weeks, the emergency call of GIZ Nord will receive a real rush of reports on possible mushroom poisoning. "We record some, even serious cases weekly," warns Andreas Schaper, toxicologist and head of the center at the University Medical Center Göttingen. Most recently, a man from the northern German lowlands were hospitalized after he had probably eaten a highly toxic tuber mushroom. The symptoms can be tricky-gastrointestinal problems only occur 8 to 12 hours after consumption, which can often mean the decisive loss of time.

acute cases at the clinics

In the University Hospital Essen, four patients have been treated for acute liver failure since mid -October, triggered by eating tuber mushrooms. In Münster, too, a seriously injured person is talking who recently received a donor liver. The dangers are real and they mainly affect the little ones - small children often linger unnoticed in nature and could cost poisonous mushrooms.

Schaper appeals to all mushroom collectors: "A book or an app is not enough!" To ensure that the captured mushrooms should be checked by so -called mushroom experts. The poison emergency call in Göttingen is responsible for Lower Saxony and neighboring federal states and received around 80 inquiries in September - and October has the potential to get worse. "The year 2022 recorded over 150 cases this month," he warns.

The fatal risk of tuber mushroom

The dreaded tuber fungus is the main suspect in Germany with 90 percent of fatal mushroom poisoning. His poison waits patiently to encounter several hours of supposed security. The first symptoms are nausea and vomiting, followed by terrible liver complications. In the worst case, there is only one liver transplant to save the life of those affected, the specialist Markus Cornberg from the Hannover Medical School.