Clinical characteristics and management of hospitalized patients during the mushroom poisoning outbreak in Kermanshah province, Iran

Ahmadi Jouybari, Touraj; Mahmoodi, Asra; Aghaei, Abbas; Lotfi, Bahareh; Nategh, Shokat; Rahmanizadeh, Reza; Shaahmadi, Zahra

doi:10.22034/emt.2026.608212.1012

Clinical characteristics and management of hospitalized patients during the mushroom poisoning outbreak in Kermanshah province, Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Touraj Ahmadi Jouybari ¹

Asra Mahmoodi ¹

Abbas Aghaei ²

Bahareh Lotfi ¹

Shokat Nategh ¹

Reza Rahmanizadeh ¹

Zahra Shaahmadi ¹

¹ Clinical Research Development Center, Imam Khomeini and Mohammad Kermanshahi and Farabi Hospitals, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

² Cancer and Immunology Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

10.22034/emt.2026.608212.1012

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Mushroom poisoning can cause significant mortality, especially with toxic species. Then, this study aimed to describe the characteristics of patients hospitalized during a mushroom-poisoning outbreak in Kermanshah Province, western Iran.
Methods: This retrospective study included all patients hospitalized at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Kermanshah for suspected mushroom poisoning during the spring 2018 outbreak. A total of 336 patients visited the hospital after mushroom ingestion; 207 were hospitalized and constituted the study population. Data were collected retrospectively from medical records.
Results: Of the 336 patients who presented to the hospital during the outbreak, 207 were hospitalized and included in the study. Women represented 50.2% of the hospitalized patients, while men accounted for 49.8%. The mean age was 41.71 years (SD 15.62), with the largest age group being 30 to 45 years. Most patients developed symptoms within six hours of mushroom ingestion. The most commonly reported symptoms were bloody vomiting, vomiting, abdominal pain, nausea, watery diarrhea, and weakness or lethargy. The majority of cases occurred in the spring, particularly between April and June 2018.
Conclusion: The mushroom poisoning outbreak primarily affected young and middle-aged adults, but children may be particularly vulnerable to accidental ingestion and severe consequences. Public education should be enhanced during the local mushroom-growing season. Given that some poisonings can escalate quickly and delayed symptoms may indicate serious toxicity, prompt assessment and treatment are crucial.

Highlights

A hospital-based case series of 207 patients with suspected mushroom poisoning in western Iran.
Gastrointestinal manifestations predominated among hospitalized patients.
Elevated liver enzymes and coagulopathy were observed in a subset of patients.
The case-fatality proportion was 4.76% among patients with known outcomes.

Keywords

Mushroom poisoning

Abdominal pain

Disease outbreaks

Medical records

Retrospective studies

Subjects