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Araceae Toxicity
Aka: Araceae Toxicity, Araceae
- See Also
- Plant Toxicity
- Accidental Poisoning Causes
- Unknown Ingestion
- Background
- Araceae family of plants
- Genera include Alocasia, Arisaema, Caladium, Colocasia, Dieffenbachia, and Philodendron
- Broad firm and shiny leaves
- Examples
- Mother-In-Law's Tongue (Dracaena trifasciata)
- Elephant Ears (genera Colocasia, Alocasia, and Xanthosoma)
- Mechanism
- Plant is coated in sharp, lancinating Calcium oxalate crystals (raphides)
- When the plant is bitten (most often by a child), the crystals lance the mucosa causing localized symptoms
- Symptoms
- Pain and swelling of mucosa on biting leaf
- Signs
- Crying due to pain
- Drooling
- Anterior oropharyngeal swelling (esp. lips, Tongue)
- Tongue Pain may interfere with speaking
- Differential Diagnosis
- See Plant Toxicity
- Anaphylaxis
- Angioedema
- Management
- Airway Management as needed
- Case reports of posterior oropharyngeal involvement and need for Endotracheal Intubation
- Typically self limited and resolves in 20-30 minutes
- Treated symptomatically
- Cold milk
- Popsicles
- References
- Claudius, Behar and Nordt in Herbert (2020) EM:Rap 20(9): 5-7