1/10. Herbal poisoning: a case report of a fatal yellow oleander poisoning from the Solomon islands.A fatal yellow oleander herbal poisoning is reported in a 2 1/2-year-old Melanesian boy, who had persistent vomiting,bradycardia caused by complete heart block, hyperkalemia and cardiac glycosides detected in his serum. This is one of the few recognized clinical pictures of illness from herbal poisoning, yet herbal poisoning in infants in some Pacific and African countries is common and has a high mortality.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/10. A case of water hemlock poisoning.water hemlock is a ubiquitous plant that can be mistaken for a turnip as in the case reported. Oral ingestion causes an explosive illness consisting of nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and grand mal seizures that can progress to cyanosis and death. In the reported case a 30-year old man was found semi-comatose some 75 minutes after ingesting a "turnip". The history revealed profuse emesis shortly after eating lunch that changed from bile to frank blood. There was a mean orthostatic blood pressure change of 30 torr, with an increase in the heart rate of 10%. neurologic examination revealed a lethargic patient. Following administration of 4 liters of Ringer's lactate the patient's blood pressure stabilized and with continued isotonic fluid maintenance he improved rapidly. This case indicates that appropriate management should be directed toward protecting the patient's airway from gastric aspiration, restoring the intravascular and extracellular volume deficit, and controlling cerebral edema.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/10. Three cases of zigadenus (death camus) poisoning.Three cases are reported where 1/2-2 bulbs of zigadenus were ingested. This resulted in vomiting, cramping and nausea, starting within 1-2 hours and lasting 4-5 hours. Both the heart rate and blood pressure were affected, generally, but not consistently, decreased. atropine, when used for the cardiovascular effects, increased the heart rate, but had minimal action on the blood pressure. There was little toxic effect on respiration, central nervous system, or temperature. The one case of increased temperature was though to be due to an unrelated illness. Treatment of such cases should include emesis (or lavage, if emesis is contraindicated), activated charcoal, and saline cathartic. Symptomatic cases need an iv and possible administration of atropine, a sympathometic and/or a ganglionic blocking agent. Since there is considerable variation in what symptoms will be seen with the different species of zigadenus, each case must be treated symptomatically; first with good supportive care, then possibly with administration of the above agents.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/10. Identification of 5-hydroxyhexanoic acid in the urine of twin siblings with a Reye's-like syndrome associated with dicarboxylic aciduria and hypoglycaemia and with similarities to Jamaican vomiting sickness.Twin male infant siblings who presented in Harrow, UK, with a Reye's-like syndrome associated with profound hypoglycaemia, vomiting, diarrhoea, coma and death in one child, with dicarboxylic aciduria, and similarities to Jamacian vomiting sickness (hypoglycin toxicity) have been shown to excrete large amounts of a previously unrecorded urinary organic acid. This has been identified as 5-hydroxyhexanoic acid by gas chromatography mass spectrometry using a synthesized standard. Concentrations observed were 340 and 330 mg g-1 creatinine in the two patients. The metabolic precursor of the urinary acid is suggested to be hex-4-enoic acid, a probable chemical toxin closely related to the active organic acid metabolite of hypoglycin. The possibility of omega - 1 oxidation of hexanoic acid to 5-hydroxyhexanoic acid in these and other patients with dicarbocylic aciduris is also discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2603.8538054069keywords = sickness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/10. Episodic hypoglycemia with psi-hydroxy fatty acid excretion.We present case histories of two young children with episodes of hypoglycemia, elevation of SGOT, low insulin levels, increased urinary excretion of psi-hydroxy fatty acids (5-hydroxyhexanoic, 7-hydroxyoctanoic and 9-hydroxydecanoic), traces of the corresponding psi-ketoacids and elevations of urinary adipic, suberic, and sebacic acids. The ratio of psi-hydroxy fatty acids to 3-hydroxybutyric in the urine of these patients is higher than in patients of similar ages with similar illnesses. These acids persisted while the patients were well. Increased urinary psi-hydroxy fatty acids could be reproduced by a load of medium chain triglycerides without precipitating other clinical symptoms. Three children with hypoglycemia were found not to excrete measurable amounts of these unusual acids while ill. A medium chain triglyceride load in one of these children after recovery failed to elicit psi-hydroxy acid excretion. Small amounts of urinary 5-hydroxyhexanoic acid only were found in two patients with acute Reye's syndrome and in three of five severely ill children with starvation ketonuria. In this last group, no urinary psi-hydroxyacids could be detected after recovery. Normal children do not excrete measurable amounts (less than 1 mg/g creatinine) of these psi-hydroxyacids.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/10. Jamaican vomiting sickness: a study of two adult cases.An acute illness (Jamaican vomiting sickness) which affected two adults after eating unripe ackee fruit was investigated. Analyses of serum and urine samples were performed to compare the patterns of organic acidaemia and aciduria with those reported from childhood cases. The main conclusion from the comparison is that the toxic ackee constitutent, hypoglycin, produces essentially the same metabolic effects in adults as in children.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2604.8538054069keywords = sickness, illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/10. Anticholinergic poisoning associated with herbal tea.An outbreak of cholinergic poisoning occurred in new york city during a 3-day period. Seven individuals from three families of South American origin were affected. signs and symptoms of illness included dry skin, hyperthermia, tachycardia, dilated pupils, agitation, and hallucinations. Onset of illness in all cases was temporally associated with consumption of a tea that was labeled "paraguay tea" and was purchased from a grocery store specializing in South American foods. paraguay tea, made from the leaves of the holly, ilex paraguariensis, contains caffeine and theophylline and is a popular beverage in south america. Samples of the tea analyzed with gas chromatography contained belladonna alkaloids but neither caffeine nor theophylline. An investigation by the new york city Department of health personnel determined that the tea was from a single lot, imported by one distributor, and sold at one grocery store. Unsold inventories of the tea were quarantined, and no further cases of anticholinergic poisoning were reported.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/10. Jimson weed poisoning--texas, New York, and california, 1994.Ingestion of Jimson weed (datura stramonium), which contains the anticholinergics atropine and scopolamine, can cause serious illness or death. Sporadic incidents of intentional misuse have been reported throughout the united states, and clusters of poisonings have occurred among adolescents unaware of its potential adverse effects. This report describes incidents of Jimson weed poisoning that occurred in texas, New York, and california during June-November 1994.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/10. Jamaican vomiting sickness in Toledo, ohio.The endemic illness of jamaica known as ackee poisoning is reported for the first time in the united states. The toxic exposure resulted from the consumption of canned ackee. The epidemiology, diagnosis, theoretical mechanism, and possible therapy of this disease are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2084.0830443255keywords = sickness, illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/10. Herb use and necrodegenerative hepatitis.Twelve patients with herbally-induced hepatitis are described and the clinicopathological features of their illness, which seem to present a recognisable spectrum, are discussed. The nature and the severity of the histological changes seem to correlate with the clinical manifestations and the immediate prognosis. Laboratory tests, especially liver function studies, are of limited diagnostic and prognostic value. The plants which contain the responsible toxins, have been identified in this country and in other parts of Southern africa. A short list is provided of, apparently, the commonest medicinal plants in lesotho. Many more toxic plants, however, are used in food and in diverse traditional medications. senecio species are the principal source of hepatotoxic alkoloids, especially pyrrolizidines. Experimental studies ann evidence of similar disorders in animals, have thrown some light on the pathogenic mechanisms of these hepatotoxic and possibly hepatocarcinogenic agents. The disease in humans probably results from a combination of factors.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = illness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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