PLANT POISONINGS IN CHILDREN

1 Plant poisonings comprise 5% of all hospitalizations due to poisonin gs in children and plant inquiries to Poison Information Centre consis t about 28% of calls concerning children. 2 A search of 71 cases of ho spitalization due to plants in a 5 year period obtained from two child ren's hospitals in Helsinki were reviewed and 105 plant inquiries conc erning poisonings among children to the Poison Information Centre in a 6 month period were studied. 3 The most frequent plant poisonings inv olved lily-of-the-valley, dumb cane and cotoneaster plant, Only 11% of the cases treated in hospital were evaluated to be unequivocal poison ings. 4 Mezereon, snowberry, cotoneaster plant, honeysuckle, and woody nightshade caused the most serious symptoms. Symptoms in mezereon poi soning were increased saliva excretion, haematuria and diarrhoea in a 1.2-year-old girl. Snowberries caused a semicomatose state and difficu lty in urination, cotoneaster caused severe stomach ache, honeysuckle abudant gastrointestinal symptoms and muscle cramps, and nightshade le d to prolonged high fever and sweating. 5 It appears that almost all p lant poisonings could be treated with medical charcoal. Gastric evacua tion is seldom required.