Health Encyclopedia

Aloe

Definition

This poisoning is from swallowing aloe.

Alternative Names

Skin and sunburn treatments

Poisonous Ingredient

Aloe
Aloin

Where Found

Aloe is found in many different products, including some hand creams, burn medications, and cosmetics.

Symptoms

Breathing difficulty (from inhalation)
Throat swelling (which may also cause breathing difficulty)
Severe burning or pain in the throat, nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue
Loss of vision
Severe abdominal pain
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Skin irritation
Rash

Home Treatment

Stop using the product. It is important to contact Poison Control.

DO NOT make the person throw up.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

The patient's age, weight, and condition
The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
The time it was swallowed
The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See National Poison Control center.

Expectations (prognosis)

How well a patient does depends on how severe the poisoning is, whether there was an allergic reaction, and how quickly treatment was received. Symptoms normally go away when appropriately treated.

Review Date:3/8/2006
Reviewed By:Stephen C Acosta, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

ADAM Quality A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) and this website do not claim the information on, or referred to by, this site is error free. This site may include links to websites of other government agencies or private groups. Our Agency and this website do not control such sites and are not responsible for their content. Reference to or links to any other group, product, service, or information does not mean our Agency or this website approves of that group, product, service, or information.

Additionally, while health information provided through this website may be a valuable resource for the public, it is not designed to offer medical advice. Talk with your doctor about medical care questions you may have.