A 10-year retrospective review of mushroom exposures reported to the United Kingdom National Poisons Information Service between 2013 and 2022

Introduction

Several poisonous mushroom species are present in the United Kingdom, but exposures that cause severe toxicity or death are rare. This study uses poison centre data to describe trends in mushroom poisoning in the United Kingdom over a 10-year period.

Methods

A retrospective review of telephone enquiries from healthcare professionals to the National Poisons Information Service regarding mushroom ingestions between January 2013 and December 2022 was performed.

Results

The service received 1,285 enquiries relating to 1,195 patients. Most enquiries were received from September to November, with a peak of 305 enquiries in October. Over half of the enquiries were from emergency departments (54%). Children made up 59.5% of the total exposures. Most exposures occurred at home (n = 802; 68.1%). The circumstance was unintentional in 84.2% of enquiries (n = 988). In 80% of cases, the species was recorded as “mushroom not known.” A mycologist was contacted for identification in 4.2% of cases. Most patients were asymptomatic (n = 697; 58.3%). Common features in symptomatic patients were gastrointestinal upset, kidney and liver injury, and somnolence. Patients with severe or moderate features presented later than patients with minor or no features. No fatalities were reported.

Discussion

The highest number of enquiries corresponds to the peak of the mushroom growing season. Unintentional ingestions in children tend to be of unknown mushrooms. Garden mushrooms are unlikely to result in poisoning, which may explain the large number of asymptomatic patients. Mushroom poisoning in adults tends to produce more severe features, as they are likely to intentionally ingest mushrooms in larger quantities, or present to hospital later.

Conclusion

Unintentional ingestions by children accounted for the majority of enquiries. Most exposures were asymptomatic. There is a need to increase safety messages, especially aimed at children, regarding the risks of ingesting unidentified mushrooms.