Severe poisoning by traditional medication in the newborn

• Published in: Archives de pédiatrie : organe officiel de la Société française de pédiatrie 2017-09, Vol.24 (9), p.833
• Main Authors: Oulmaati, A, Hmami, F, Achour, S, Bouharrou, A
• Format: Article
• Language: fre
• Subjects: Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Medicine, Traditional - adverse effects; Plant Extracts - poisoning; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index
• ISSN: 1769-664X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arcped.2017.06.005

The use of traditional products for therapeutic purposes in the newborn cause many cases of severe poisoning, especially in newborns. The aim of this study was to identify the main medicinal plants causing poisoning and emphasize the seriousness of poisonous plants. We report a series of eight newborns admitted for intake of poisonous medicinal plants admitted to the neonatal unit and neonatal intensive care unit at the Fez (Morocco) Hassan II University Hospital in 2014. The reasons for use were dominated by the infant's refusing to suckle. Clinical signs at admission were neurological signs and respiratory distress. The decision was spontaneously declared by the family for only two patients. A particular smell of the urine and unusual lesion associations were the main signs drawing the attention of physicians in other cases. The amounts and rates differed. Laboratory tests revealed renal failure in two cases. Transaminases (SGOT and SGPT) were greater than three times normal and the TP was below 50% in two newborns. Hemoglobin less than 9g/dL in three cases and thrombocytopenia less than 50,000/mm in two newborns. The main poisonous plants were identified as cade oil and henna. Medicinal plants were associated in all cases. Toxicological analysis was negative in three cases and was not done in the other five cases. The management was symptomatic and etiological. The outcome was favorable in six newborns. Death occurred in two neonates despite resuscitation. Medicinal plants must, like drugs, obey strict rules that only the standard herbal medicine specialist can answer. This necessarily involves the regulation of the profession in our country.