Hippomane mancinella fruit poisoning, clinical case report

Abstract

Abstract: Hippomane mancinella is a tree belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family. It is found in the West Indies, Tobago Island, Central America, the west coast of Africa and Florida; in our country it is widely distributed in the Galapagos Island region. The fruit of Hippomane mancinella is spherical and resembles a small green apple 3-4 cm in diameter with a pleasant odor; ingestion of this fruit causes burns in the oropharynx and gastrointestinal tract, however, it can also be responsible for laryngeal edema that may require intubation, gastrointestinal hemorrhage and even death.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to analyze the clinical case of 3 patients who accidentally ingested the fruit of Hippomane mancinella, in addition to the severity according to the dose ingested.

Clinical case: Female patients aged 30, 29, 28 years go to emergency service for accidental ingestion of the fruit of the Hippomane mancinella tree, each one presented similar symptoms such as pharyngodynia, abdominal pain, asthenia, however, the patient who ingested the total fruit experienced greater gastrointestinal symptomatology.

Conclusions: Hippomane mancinella proves to be a toxic tree not only for its fruit, but also for its sap, potentially dangerous in relation to the ingested dose, its mechanism remains to be determined.

Key words: Mancinella, poisoning.