Food Poisoning – Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Mushroom poisoning

Although the health authorities warn of poisonous mushrooms in large-scale campaigns every year, mushroom poisoning still occurs today. Supposedly knowledgeable collectors of mushrooms confuse toadstools with edible mushrooms, which fatally look very similar to them. The result is severe poisoning with paralysis and hallucinations.

Deaths from death caps, for example, mistaken for button mushrooms, have been reported year after year. But poisonous berries, which are mistaken for edible ones that look similar, mostly bring children to the hospital year after year.

causes

Carelessness in storage and observing the best-before date can lead to food poisoning. However, breaking the cold chain for frozen products such as ice cream or cream cakes can also lead to food poisoning.But not only mistakes that consumers make through improper handling of food lead to poisoning. Any negligence on the part of the food processing industry and sales can also have fatal consequences.

Unfortunately, accidental or careless food contamination isn’t all there. There have always been and still are black sheep in the food industry who throw spoiled goods onto the market out of sheer greed. Rotten kebab meat and unhygienic poultry farms are just two examples of such scandalous and criminal machinations.

symptoms and course

Possible symptoms:

• Diarrhea

• blood in the stool

• stomach cramps

• Vomit

• nausea

• Fever

• dizziness

• Muscle aches

• shortness of breath

• chills

• shortness of breath

• tachycardia

In a toxin infection, the host organism produces the toxin after it has been absorbed into the body. A few minutes to several hours after eating, the following typical symptoms and complaints appear: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and stomach pain. They are triggered by an intolerance caused by either contaminated, bacterially contaminated or toxic foods. In the case of salmonella poisoning, chills and fever can also occur. Additional joint and muscle pain indicate listeriosis. Poisoning with fungal and plant toxins leads to increased dizziness, shortness of breath and tachycardia.

When food poisoning occurs, the body tries to get rid of the toxins as quickly as possible. In the course of this he loses a lot of liquid and minerals . To counteract circulatory collapse, it is advisable to drink plenty of fluids and consume electrolytes in the form of salt and sugar. Easily digestible food such as rusks, pretzel sticks and white bread regenerate the irritated stomach and intestinal mucosa. Only in very severe cases of food poisoning is it advisable to take antibiotics. If more symptoms than the typical symptoms occur, a doctor’s visit is strongly recommended.

When to the doctor?

If severe vomiting occurs in connection with food poisoning, a doctor should be consulted promptly. Severe vomiting removes a lot of fluid from the body and can result in serious circulatory problems and even heart failure. This is especially true with children. A doctor can determine if the body is able to handle the lost amount of fluids and electrolytes or if quick action is needed to stop the vomiting. The same applies to long-lasting diarrhea if it does not respond to common home remedies.

A doctor should also be consulted in connection with food poisoning if symptoms of clouded consciousness occur. Poisoning can trigger such severe toxic processes in the body that those affected can no longer react adequately and become unconscious. This is a medical emergency that requires immediate further examinations and therapies. Here, too, it is true that children are particularly at risk and parents should consult a doctor quickly if they experience symptoms of clouding.

Diagnose

A reliable diagnosis of food poisoning can be made when a sample of the spoiled food is checked in the laboratory for possible contamination. Alternatively, vomit can be examined for pathogens and germs. Laboratory tests are usually not used when making the diagnosis. If several people suffer from the same symptoms after eating the same food, food poisoning is likely even without laboratory evidence. After eating contaminated food, the first symptoms usually appear within a few minutes or hours. Nausea, vomiting and high fever are typical signs of food poisoning. Another evidence is that symptoms disappear after a few days.

Mushroom poisoning must be treated. Another borderline case is botulism. Here, a diagnosis based on a blood and stool test is essential. The symptoms differ from mild food poisoning. Neurological deficits combined with nausea and fever suggest botulinum toxin intake. This toxin is sometimes found in canned foods that have been home-cooked.

complications

A typical complication of food poisoning is dehydration resulting from vomiting and diarrhea. Babies, small children and old or chronically ill people are particularly affected. In these risk groups, untreated dehydration can cause serious deficiency symptoms and organ disorders and can therefore be life-threatening.

If the bacteria spread to other parts of the body, it can lead to kidney, liver, heart and brain disorders. Then diseases such as meningitis , an inflammation of the inner wall of the heart, peritonitis or blood poisoning can occur. Clostridial infection can damage the nervous system. This can result in symptoms such as paralysis of the eye muscles, disorders of the skeletal muscles, speech disorders and blood pressure disorders.

Constipation and urinary retention as well as breathing difficulties up to and including respiratory arrest can also occur as a result of food poisoning caused by Clostridial. Treatment with antibiotics can cause skin irritation, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, muscle and body aches and other complications. If the preparation is taken over a longer period of time, there is a risk of kidney, liver and heart damage. In individual cases, it can lead to the development of addictive behavior with serious health consequences.

treatment and therapy

If there is the slightest suspicion of food poisoning, it is essential to warn against self-medication. These diseases belong in the hands of doctors and there is often little time to avoid long-term effects or even to save lives.

As a first immediate measure, the fluid and electrolyte loss of the patient must be compensated by infusions. The stomach may also be pumped out and flushed to remove as many toxins as possible.

If the patient is at risk of kidney failure due to uraemic toxins, dialysis treatment may even be necessary. EHEC, for example, can damage the kidneys so severely that patients become dependent on the artificial kidney for the rest of their lives.

If food poisoning is suspected, the contact person of the affected person may also be treated for prophylactic reasons.

In milder cases, medicinal charcoal (charcoal tablets) can be used in the event of symptoms of poisoning in order to neutralize the harmful substances. However, medicinal charcoal often reduces or alters the effectiveness of other medications.Certain pathogens do not respond to antibiotics at all or even promote the formation of toxins. In others, they are used after the exact identification of the pathogen.

In order not to put additional strain on the stomach and the digestive organs, the treating physicians often order a diet of several days. Then slowly build up with a bland diet, avoiding dairy products and all foods that put a strain on the digestion.

Outpatient follow-up treatment is often essential when the patient is completely exhausted or internal organs are permanently damaged. Especially in the case of salmonella diseases, the doctor will order regular follow-up examinations. If the infection is not completely healed, the patient threatens to become a permanent excretor and thus a source of infection for other people.

outlook and prognosis

Food poisoning can be very unpleasant for those affected, but in most cases the course is uncomplicated and the chances of recovery are good, especially if there is only diarrhea and not fever and bloody diarrhea in addition.

In general, symptoms resolve within a few days. It is important to compensate for the lack of fluids caused by diarrhea by drinking a lot. Especially with children and older people, care must be taken to ensure that they drink enough so that there is no electrolyte deficiency, which necessitates hospitalization.

In the case of more serious poisoning, such as botulism from contaminated meat products, the prospects are worse, especially if the symptoms are not recognized and treated in good time. If the poisoning is not treated quickly enough, those affected can die within 3 to 6 days from respiratory paralysis caused by the botulism pathogen. But even with timely diagnosis and treatment, the number of deaths is still around 10%.

The fatality rate for puffer fish poisoning is about 60%. Salmonella poisoning is usually harmless, but complications can occur in older people.

prevention

Pesticides are on the rise. Due to monocultures and other developments in agricultural policy, many farmers feel compelled to use more pesticides. As a result, fruit and vegetables increasingly contain traces of highly toxic dioxin and other carcinogenic substances. The danger here does not lie in the one-off consumption of contaminated fruit and vegetables, but in the continuous intake of the pollutants over many years.

But there are now also farmers who go the biological-ecological route and do without the use of chemical substances. The commodity is more expensive because organic farms have to produce more labour-intensively, but organic farming is a first step in the right direction.

↳ More information: Home remedies for food poisoning

The consequences of genetically modified food are not yet foreseeable and the cultivation of such products is highly controversial. The use of antibiotics and anabolic steroids in animal husbandry is of great concern.

The legislator has excellently regulated the operational handling of food, but the laws and regulations must always be strictly observed in order to prevent illness and even possible deaths.