Upper Airway Obstruction as a Presentation of Taro Poisoning

Correspondence to: Yuen Cheuk Pun, Eddie, MEChB, FRCS(Edin) Prince of Wales Hospital, Accident & Emergency Department, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong Email: eddieyen2000@hongkong.com We describe a case of Taro poisoning presenting as severe buccal and throat pain, which later progress to cause upper airway obstruction. Chinese Taro is not normally consumed as food in Hong Kong, though it is readily found growing wild in the countryside. The chemical responsible for the poisoning is Oxalate, which is also found in other species of plant. (Hong Kong j.emerg.med. 2001;8:163-165)