The increasing worldwide popularity of mushroom picking and consumption, as well as attempts to use manifestly inedible mushrooms as hallucinogens, have led in recent years to an increase in the frequency of food poisoning caused by them.

Severe and fatal mushroom poisoning occurs relatively rarely and is associated with the development of liver failure when consuming Amanita - pale grebe (especially Amanita phalloides ) or renal failure with the use of an eagle containing Cortinarius mushrooms.

Since the early 1990s, a number of new types of poisonous fungi have been described, the use of which is accompanied by myotoxicity, rhabdomyolysis, the development of acute renal failure and damage to the central nervous system.

The diagnosis of mushroom poisoning is carried out on the basis of the anamnesis (eating suspicious or obviously inedible mushrooms), clinical manifestations which can vary considerably depending on the type of fungus, as well as the results of general clinical and toxicological studies. Since anamnestic data is often absent, J.H. Diaz (USA) has developed a new syndromic classification of food poisoning by fungi. 14 main lesion syndromes were stratified according to the time of onset (early - less than 6 hours, late - 6-24 hours and delayed by more than a day) and the "target organ". In addition, 4 new syndromes (rapidly developing nephrotoxicity, rhabdomyolysis, erythromelalgia and delayed neurotoxicity) were included in the classification.

The main syndrome that develops with food poisoning by fungi is early gastrotoxicity. The management tactic consists in restoring the water-salt balance, an early gastric lavage (within the first 6 hours) (the content must be immediately sent for toxicological analysis) and the repeated use of activated charcoal (1 g / kg , then in a maintenance dose of 0.5 g / kg). Because patients often develop vomiting and diarrhea, emetics and laxatives are rarely prescribed. Early gastrotoxicity may be followed by acute or chronic renal and / or hepatic impairment. Any sign of dysfunction of these organs is an indication of the immediate transfer of patients to specialized services and performs hemodialysis and (as indicated) an internal organ transplant. With neuromuscular and pulmonary lesions, anticonvulsant therapy and transfer of the patient to artificial respiration are indicated.