Acute Bilateral Fixed Mydriasis Caused by Lupini Bean Intoxication

Lupini beans are legume seeds of the genus Lupinus, consumed in many parts of the world. The main species are Lupinus mutabilis, Lupius angustifolius, and Lupinus albus. The latter is commonly eaten as a snack in Mediterranean countries. The beans are very rich in alkaloids, which give them a bitter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inWilderness & environmental medicine Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 217 - 220
Main Authors Lahoud, Corinne, Hanna, Najib-Georges, Jalkh, Alexandre, Azar, Georges
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA Elsevier Inc 01.06.2021
SAGE Publications
Subjects
anticholinergic syndrome
lupini seeds
ophthalmology
pupillary abnormalities
toxicity
toxicity
ophthalmology
pupillary abnormalities
anticholinergic syndrome
lupini seeds
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Summary:Lupini beans are legume seeds of the genus Lupinus, consumed in many parts of the world. The main species are Lupinus mutabilis, Lupius angustifolius, and Lupinus albus. The latter is commonly eaten as a snack in Mediterranean countries. The beans are very rich in alkaloids, which give them a bitter taste. One of these alkaloids was shown to cause anticholinergic effects. Lupini beans, if improperly prepared, can cause toxicity manifesting as an anticholinergic syndrome. We present the case of a 50-y-old woman who presented with bilateral mydriasis, mouth dryness, and anxiety. We confirmed that the patient consumed partially debittered lupini beans a few hours before presentation. The rest of her physical and ophthalmic examination results were within normal limits. Her symptoms resolved without therapy within 12 h from presentation and were attributed to ingestion of incorrectly prepared lupine seeds.
ISSN:1080-6032
1545-1534
DOI:10.1016/j.wem.2021.01.003