title: Acute plant poisoning: analysis of clinical features and circumstances of exposure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human contact with potentially toxic plants, which may occur through abuse or by accident or attempted suicide, is frequent and sometimes results in clinically significant toxicity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to identify which plants may lead to severe poisoning, and to define the clinical relevance of plant toxicity for humans in Switzerland.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed 42,193 cases of human plant exposure and 255 acute moderate, severe, and lethal poisonings, which were reported to the Swiss Toxicological Information Centre between January 1995 and December 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plant contact was rarely responsible for serious poisonings. Lethal intoxications were extremely rare and were caused by plants with cardiotoxic (Taxus baccata) or mitosis-inhibiting (Colchicum autumnale) properties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most often, plant contact was accidental and patients remained asymptomatic or developed mild symptoms, which fully resolved within a short time.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Toxicological Information Centre, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rauber-Lüthy
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kupferschmidt
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kupper
authors.forename: Gerd-Achim
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Kullak-Ublick
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ceschi
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D062787:Drug Overdose; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010939:Plant Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D010947:Plants, Toxic / Q000506:poisoning*; D011039:Poison Control Centers; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult