The food you eat sometimes becomes poisonous and causes trouble for you. Food poisoning is not life threatening but it causes discomfort that makes you unable to live a care-free life. The symptoms of food poisoning go away after a few days, even without a treatment.
What is Food Poisoning?
Eating contaminated, toxic, spoiled, or rotten food can cause food poisoning. Food poisoning often causes vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. These symptoms make you uncomfortable and you feel irritated. Food poisoning is a common condition. Therefore, a large number of people around the world experience it at different stages of life.
What are the Symptoms of Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning often gets detected easily because its symptoms are prominent. However, the symptoms vary depending on the sources of infection.
Common symptoms of food poisoning include:
- Abdominal cramps.
- Headache.
- Weakness.
- Diarrhea.
- Vomiting.
- Nausea.
- Mild fever.
- Loss of appetite.
Sometimes, food poisoning causes some serious complications that might be life threatening, such as:
- A fever higher than 102 F.
- Difficulty speaking or seeing.
- Bloody urine.
- Symptoms of severe dehydration, such as:
- Difficulty keeping fluids down.
- Dry mouth.
- Little to no urine output.
Experiencing any of these symptoms is an indication that you should contact your doctor to seek medical treatment immediately.
How Long Does Food Poisoning Last?
Food poisoning symptoms take time to appear but the time depends on the sources of infection. The normal range of symptoms can extend from 1 hour to several weeks.
However, the problem can be resolved within one week, whether you have a treatment or not.
Food Poisoning Causes
Major causes of food poisoning include:
- Viruses.
- Bacteria.
- Parasites.
The food you eat always contains several types of pathogens i.e. bacteria, virus and parasites. No doubt, cooking and heating the food kills most of the pathogens.
However, raw food is highly contaminated with pathogens and pollutants. They become the greatest source of food poisoning as they don’t go through the cooking process.
Another cause of food contamination is the exposure of food to the organisms from fecal matter or vomit. It usually happens when a food poisoned ill person touches your belongings, cooks food for you without washing or sanitizing their hands.
Foods that become poisoned more easily are:
- Water.
- Meat.
- Eggs.
- Dairy.
- Bacteria
Most of the foods become contaminated with bacteria. Bacteria make your food poisonous. The most harmful species of bacteria that cause food poisoning include:
- Clostridium botulinum.
- Campylobacter.
- Vibrio vulnificus.
- e.coli .
- Shigella.
- Salmonella.
- Listeria monocytogenes.
- Staphylococcus aureus.
From all these, the most dangerous is Salmonella. It is the major cause of food poisoning. In certain parts of the world E.coli is also considered the most harmful bacteria as it is the biggest bacterial cause of food poisoning.
Parasites
Parasites also can cause food poisoning but this type of food poisoning is rare. But the parasites that spread through food poisoning are more dangerous than bacterial and viral food poisoning.
Common types of parasites that cause food poisoning are:
- Ascaruis lumbricoides, a round worm.
- Trichinilla.
- Cryoptosporidium.
- Toxoplasma gondii.
- Giardia lamblia.
- Enterobiais or pinworms.
- Flukes, such as liver fluke or lung fluke.
Various tapeworms, like:
- Fuishtaieworm.
- Beef tapeworm.
- Pork tapeworm.
The department of food and health has proposed that food poisoning often causes a life threatening condition known as toxoplasmosis. It usually spreads through making contact with cat litter .
Parasites also tend to grow and live in your alimentary canal that can be undetected for many years. If you have a weakened immune system or are pregnant you are at huge risk of developing side effects if food poisoning is especially caused by parasites as they easily get residence in your intestines and stomach.
Viruses
Viruses are the third major cause of microorganisms that can spoil your food and make it contaminated.
Common types of food poisoning viruses are:
- Astrovirus.
- Hepatitis A virus.
- Norovirus.
- Sapovirus.
- Rotavirus.
A large number of people experience vomiting and diarrhea due to food poisoning each year. Sometimes, it proves fatal.
Viral food poisoning can be detected easily. But it is necessary to check with a doctor before using any medications for its treatment because your body is already trying to get rid of toxins by vomiting and diarrhea.
In addition, using medications without consulting your doctor can mask the severity of symptoms of your condition that may delay the diagnosis and treatment procedure.
What to Do to Get Rid of Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning makes you uncomfortable and increases irritability. So, it is necessary to take steps to treat it. Here are some methods to get rid of the condition:
Receive an Antitoxin
If the cause of your food poisoning is a bacterium, you need quick medical assistance. Doctors prefer to administer an antitoxin. These antioxidants help boost your immune system to fight against pathogens.
Rest
Most of the symptoms of food poisoning can be treated with a long term rest. Getting plenty of tests helps you exercise fastly.
Seeking Medical Treatment
Doctors or medical healthcare specialists choose to provide you proper hydration through intravenous IV fluids at hospital. In severe cases of food poisoning, medical professionals recommend a long term stay at hospital until your complete recovery. Certain types of food poisoning, especially that are caused by bacteria, need mechanical ventilation.
Taking Prescription Medications
Many cases of food poisoning clear up on their own but sometimes, you can take help from prescription meditations. Prescription medications help you fight against the pathogens invading your digestive system.
People with compromised immune systems, old age or pregnancy often use prescription medications as they help them prevent an infection from transmitting to others or unborn babies.
Doctors can suggest you best prescription medication to clear food-borne disease. Most common prescription medications for this purpose are:
A.lumbricoides: These are antiseptic medications.
Enterobius: They are used to get rid of pinworms..
Cryptosporidium: These are anti-parasitic medications to help treat diarrhea.
Campylobacter: These antibiotics help kill food contaminating bacteria.
D.latum: These are anti-parasitic medicines that help kill parasites residing in your intestines.
L.monocytogenes: It is an ampicillin antibiotic used to treat bacterial food poisoning.
Shigella: These antibiotics are recommended to trial bacteria.
G.Lmblia: This type of medications include:
The antibiotics like quinacrine, furazolidine or flagyl.
Anti-parasitic medicines like albendazole or praziquantel.
Strong antibiotics such as nitazoxanide.
T.Solium: This category includes certain off-label treatments like albendazole and praziquantel.
T.Saginata: These are also off-label medications that include Biltruched and Albenza.
T.Gondii: This is a combination of an antiparasitic medication, Daraprom and an antibiotic medication Sulfadiazine. It also includes antibiotic spiramycin, as stand-alione medication.
Opiosthrochiidae: These also consist of albendazole and praziquantel.
Trichinella: It is a combination of mebendazole and albendazole.
Paragonimums: It is formed by combining triclabendazole and praziquantel.
What Type of Food is Good, When You Have Food Poisoning?
Diarrhea and vomiting are severe symptoms of food poisoning that become life threatening if you continue to eat solid food. You must eat easy-to-digest food until complete recovery.
Try to prefer the following foods during food poisoning treatment:
- Bananas.
- Boiled vegetables.
- Bland potatoes.
- Chicken broth.
- Rice.
- Sports drink.
- Diluted fruit juices.
- Soda without caffeine.
- Toast.
- Gelatin.
- Saltine crackers.
- Oatmeal.
Foods to Avoid
Diarrhea and vomiting make your stomach more upset. Avoiding certain foods can help ease the symptoms to give comfort to your digestive system.
If you have food poisoning, never eat these foods:
- Spicy foods.
- Dairy products like milk and cheese products.
- Highly seasoned foods.
- Fried foods.
- Fatty foods.
- Foods rich in sugar.
Foods that are strictly prohibited during food paining include:
- Alcohol.
- Caffeine.
- Nicotine.
How Food Poisoning is Diagnosed?
Your symptoms help a doctor to diagnose what type of food poisoning you have.
However, in severe cases, some blood tests, stool tests are performed to stage the condition. Doctors recommend a urine test to evaluate what type of food is responsible for your condition. The test helps them to diagnose dehydration due to food poisoning.
Risk Factors Associated with Food Poisoning
Food poisoning is a common condition. Everyone experiences it in their lives.
However, some people are at higher risk than tigers, such as:
Older Adults: People with age more than 60 years are at higher risk of contracting food poisoning. The weakened immune system is the main cause of not responding quickly to pathogens invasion.
Young Children: Children with age less than 5 years are also considered as an easy victim of food poisoning. This is because their immune system has not developed properly till this age. They get misery with dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea caused by food poisoning.
Immunocompromised People: A suppressed immune system usually gets caught by certain autoimmune diseases. There, people with compromised immune systems are at greater risk of complications and side effects linked with food poisoning infection.
Pregnant People: Bodies of pregnant people pass through different changes during pregnancy. They are at higher risk of developing food poisoning symptoms due to changes in their circulatory system and metabolism.
How to Prevent Food Poisoning?
Proper and careful food handling and taking care of food hygiene can help you prevent food poisoning. So, it is always good to prefer eating hygienic and safe food.
But still some foods can cause food poisoning due to their preparation and production methods. You can lower the risk of contamination of food by cooking the food on high heat. Many pathogens get killed during cooking. Foods that can be made safe to eat after cooking include:
- Shellfish.
- Eggs.
- Poultry.
If you eat the food in raw form and not cook the property, you can develop symptoms of food poisoning. Avoiding washing your hands and cleaning for cutting and cooking surfaces and utensils properly can lead to contracting certain bacteria or viruses in your body.
Certain foods that are ingested as major contributor to food poisoning are:
- Raw and unwashed vegetables and fruits.
- Sushi and other fish products that are served raw or uncooked.
- Ground beef, which may contain meat from several animals.
- Unpasteurized milk, juices and cheese.
- Deli ,rafts and hot digs that aren’t cooked or heated.
You can still avoid food poisoning by adopting these simple habits:
- Always wash your hands before cooking or eating food.
- Make sure to wash vegetables and fruits before serving them.
- Make sure your food is properly sealed or stirred.
- Cook all the meat and eggs thoroughly.
- Sanitize all the surfaces and utensils which are used for cutting and cooking food.
Outlook for Food Poisoning
Food poisoning is not a life threatening condition. But it just makes you uncomfortable. The good thing about it is, it can be treated easily. Most people recover properly within a few days. Many f people do not need any treatment to manage the symptoms. Several symptoms of the condition go away on their own after a few days.
How Food Poisoning is Different from Stomach Bug?
Food poisoning has some common symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea that usually appear within 4 to 5 hours after you have eaten some poisonous or contaminated food. But the stomach bug is characterized with certain symptoms that take longer to appear i.e. typically 15 to 30 hours.
Conclusion
A large number of people experience food poisoning around the world. Bacteria, viruses and parasites are common causes of making food contaminated. The intimate foods, like raw vegetables. Fruits, and uncooked meat or eggs, unpasteurized milk and dairy products are common causes of food poisoning.
However, most of the food prisoners don’t need medical treatment. But you can take many precautionary measures to prevent food poisoning, such as eating properly cooked food, avoiding uncooked or raw foods, washing and sanitizing your hands before preparing ingredients, and keeping your utensils clean.
