Dieffenbachia plant poisoning cases and effects on human health

Year 2020, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 65 - 68, 15.05.2020

Ummuhan Unlu Aytaç Kocabaş

https://doi.org/10.30616/ajb.682862

Cited By: 2

Abstract

Many plants, such as Dieffenbachia Schott, which are poisonous and can be life threatening, are present in the habitats of people. Dieffenbachia is widely used for ornamental purposes in living quarters, but it is a plant species that can harm human health as a result of contact, chewing or ingestion. The aim of this work is to attract the attention of researchers to the role of the Dieffenbachia plant, often used for ornamental purposes in homes, especially in the case of home accidents that children are exposed to and the likelihood of abuse. For this reason, Dieffenbachia poisoning cases in the literature have been discussed in the context of resources. A total of 7 cases were studied, including three cases of 1-3 years of age, 3 cases of 7-12 years and a case of adult age of 69, obtained by investigating the literature. Dieffenbachia plant can cause vital signs, such as airway obstruction and respiratory failure, as well as mild skin reactions, depending on the type of contact and amount of exposure. Care should be taken and caution should be exercised on the use of plants such as Dieffenbachia and similar plants in houses, playgrounds and other green area regulations.

Keywords

Dieffenbachia, Toxic Plants, child poisoning

Dieffenbachia bitkisi zehirlenme vakaları ve insan sağlığı üzerine etkileri

Abstract

Dieffenbachia Schott gibi zehirli etkisi olan ve yaşamı tehdit edebilen birçok bitki bilerek ya da bilmeyerek insanların yaşam alanlarında bulunmaktadır. Dieffenbachia, yaşam alanı olan evlerde süs amacıyla yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır, ancak temas edilmesi, çiğnenmesi ya da yutulması sonucunda insan sağlığına zarar verebilen bir bitki türüdür. Bu çalışmanın amacı, evlerde sıklıkla süs amacıyla kullanılan Dieffenbachia bitkisinin, özellikle çocukların maruz kaldığı ev kazalarındaki rolü ve kötüye kullanım ihtimaline karşı araştırmacıların dikkatini çekmektir. Bu sebeple literatürde bulunan Dieffenbachia zehirlenmesi olguları kaynaklar çerçevesinde tartışılmıştır. Literatür taranarak elde edilen 1-3 yaş arası üç vaka, 7-12 yaş arası 3 vaka ve 69 yaş bir yetişkin vakası olmak üzere toplam 7 olgu ele alınmıştır. Dieffenbachia bitkisi, temas şekli ve maruz kalma miktarına bağlı olarak hafif cilt reaksiyonlarının yanı sıra havayolu tıkanıklığı ve solunum yetmezliğine kadar giden hayati bulgulara neden olabilmektedir. Evler, çocuk oyun alanları ve diğer yeşil alan düzenlemelerinde Dieffenbachia ve benzer özellikteki bitkilerin kullanımı konusunda dikkatli olunmalı ve gerekli tedbirler alınmalıdır.

Keywords

Dieffenbachia, zehirli bitkiler, çocuk zehirlenmeleri

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