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To the Editor: Developmentally disabled adults are at a high risk for unintentional poisoning. Plant foliage surrounding residential facilities and day-training centers serving these adults may pose a significant potential poisoning hazard. During a 4-week period in August to September 2000, 4 unintentional plant poisonings of developmentally disabled adults, including 1 fatality, were reported to the Illinois Poison Center by such residential facilities.
A 45-year-old developmentally disabled man was found unresponsive 1 hour after he was seen eating twigs and plants. Prehospital telemetry demonstrated asystole, and he was pronounced dead in the emergency department. Postmortem examination revealed 300 mL of mulch, grass, twigs, and pine needles resembling those of the yew plant (Taxus spp) in his stomach, and no other apparent cause of death. Toxicologic analysis of the bile and blood confirmed the presence of alkaloids from the yew plant.
During this time, 3 other developmentally disabled adults, aged 20 to 50 years, were also admitted to emergency departments for plant ingestion. Two patients ingested leaves and berries from yew, while the third consumed honeysuckle berries. All were observed for 24 hours, and none had adverse effects.
Although plant ingestions represent the fourth most common call to poison centers, most ingestions are not associated with significant morbidity or mortality.1 - 3 However, 3 of these 4 cases involved the yew plant, a popular evergreen shrub containing toxic alkaloids that may cause sudden and potentially fatal cardiac toxicity.4 - 5 Developmentally disabled adults may ingest large amounts of plants and other potentially toxic substances. Based on these 4 cases, we suggest identification and removal of all toxic plants from areas surrounding facilities for developmentally disabled persons.
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
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