Severe rhabdomyolysis, acute renal failure and posterior encephalopathy after ???magic mushroom??? abuse
Markus Bickel, Tilmann Ditting, Henrik Watz, Alexander Roesler, Stefan Weidauer, Volkmar Jacobi, Saskia Gueller, Christoph Betz, Stephan Fichtlscherer, Jürgen M. Stein
European Journal of Emergency Medicine November 7, 2005 DOI: 10.1097/00063110-200512000-00011 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 25-year-old man with hepatitis C developed severe rhabdomyolysis, acute renal failure, and posterior encephalopathy with cortical blindness after ingesting magic mushrooms. Treatment with mechanical ventilation, continuous veno-venous hemodialysis, and corticosteroids led to complete recovery over months. Magic mushrooms are increasingly popular among drug users who consider them safer than other hallucinogens, but little is known about their severe side effects.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 25-year-old hepatitis C-infected man |
| Interventions | mechanical ventilation continuous veno-venous hemodialysis corticosteroids |
| Keywords | Rhabdomyolysis Hemodialysis Ingestion Mushroom poisoning Encephalopathy |
| Citations | 36 |
| Key finding | Ingestion of magic mushrooms can cause severe rhabdomyolysis, acute renal failure, and posterior encephalopathy with cortical blindness. |
Abstract
We report the case of a 25-year-old, hepatitis C-infected man, who presented with severe rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure, and later developed posterior encephalopathy with cortical blindness after the ingestion of magic mushrooms. Conventional respiratory and cardiovascular support including mechanical ventilation, continuous veno-venous hemodialysis and corticosteroids led to improvement and the patient recovered completely over the following months. Magic mushrooms are becoming increasingly fashionable among drug users, as they are believed to be more harmless than other hallucinogenic designer drugs. So far, little is known about their possible severe side effects.