Acute renal failure after intoxication with Cortinarius mushrooms.

Four previously healthy young adults developed the clinically recognised features of Cortinarius poisoning 3-4 days after intoxication. Two patients treated with haemoperfusion and haemodialysis 5 days after ingestion of the mushrooms regained normal kidney function. Two patients treated late with single haemoperfusion or dialysis had irreversible renal failure. The clinical results and our experimental studies on the toxic principle of the mushrooms indicate that early treatment with HP and HD may be important in order to avoid the development of irreversible renal failure.