[Acute dietary poisoning by white hellebore (Veratrum album L.). Clinical and analytical data. A propos of 5 cases].
Five cases of acute accidental poisoning with White Hellebore are reported. All cases occurred several minutes after the ingestion of home-made gentian wine. The clinical signs were nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, hypotension and bradycardia. The initial ECG showed sinus bradycardia in 4 cases. In one patient, complete atrioventricular block with an ectopic atrial bradycardia and an intermittent idioventricular rhythm was recorded. Symptomatic treatment and/or atropine led to recovery within a few hours. These symptoms suggested poisoning with a veratrum alkaloid. The White Hellebore (Veratrum Album L.) and the Yellow Gentian (Gentiana Lutea L.) often grow side by side in the fields; it is easy to confuse the two plants before they flower if one is not a botanist. Each gentian wine was analysed by thin layer chromatography and chemical ionisation spectrometry. All the wines contained Veratrum alkaloids.
D000005:Abdomen; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001285:Atropine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000209:etiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007022:Hypotension / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010939:Plant Poisoning / Q000628:therapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D014703:Veratrum; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology
D001285:Atropine
Intoxication aiguë alimentaire par l'ellebore blanc (Veratum album L.). Données cliniques et analytiques. A propos de 5 cas.