Most of us at sometime in our lives have suffered from food poisoning. In the vast majority of cases food poisoning is mild and resolves without treatment, but some people need to go to the hospital, and sometimes complications can be life-threatening.
What is food poisoning?
Food poisoning, also called foodborne illness, is illness caused by eating contaminated food. Infectious organisms — including bacteria, viruses and parasites — or their toxins, are the most common causes of food poisoning.
What causes food poisoning?
When it comes to determining the source of your food poisoning, it can be tricky to narrow down. A few culprits that cause the most common types of food poisoning include the following:
• Salmonella
• Campylobacter
• E. Coli
• Giardia
• Norovirus
• Staph Aureus
What are some symptoms of food poisoning?
Food poisoning symptoms, which can start within hours of eating contaminated food, may begin days or even weeks later. Sickness caused by food poisoning generally lasts from a few hours to several days. Symptoms include the following:
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• diarrhoea
• Watery or bloody diarrhoea
• Abdominal pain and cramps
• Fever
Treatment
Treatment for food poisoning typically depends on the source of the illness, if known, and the severity of the symptoms. For most people, the illness resolves without treatment within a few days, though some types of food poisoning may last longer. Treatment of food poisoning may include:
Replacement of lost fluids. Fluids and electrolytes need to be replaced. Some children and adults with persistent diarrhoea or vomiting may need hospitalization – where they can receive salts and fluids through a vein (intravenously) to prevent or treat dehydration.
Antibiotics. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if you have certain kinds of bacterial food poisoning and your symptoms are severe. During pregnancy, prompt antibiotic treatment may help keep the infection from affecting the baby.
Antibiotics will not help food poisoning caused by viruses. Antibiotics may actually worsen symptoms in certain kinds of viral or bacterial food poisoning.
Most expert doctors, in this field, recommend that you avoid taking anti-diarrhoeal medications (like Imodium) because they can slow down your digestive system – which can prolong your body from getting rid of the toxins.
Complications
The most common serious complication of food poisoning is dehydration — a severe loss of water and essential salts and minerals. If you are a healthy adult, and drink enough to replace fluids you lose from vomiting and diarrhoea, dehydration should not be a problem.
Infants, older adults and people with suppressed immune systems, or chronic illnesses, may become severely dehydrated when they lose more fluids than they can replace. In that case, they may need to be hospitalized and receive intravenous fluids. In extreme cases, dehydration can be fatal. If your symptoms are severe, and dehydration is developing, seek urgent medical attention.
How to prevent food poisoning
Washing your hands before and after meal preparation, and eating, is a no-brainer. Wash your hands well with warm, soapy water before and after handling or preparing food. Use hot, soapy water to wash utensils, cutting boards and other surfaces you use.
To prevent giving yourself a foodborne illness right in your own kitchen, the following is recommended. Individuals should live by four simple steps: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. Be sure to clean your hands and surfaces. Do not cross-contaminate (use separate cutting boards for fresh foods that would not be cooked before they are eaten and another for raw meat, poultry, or seafood). Cook foods to the right temperature. Chill perishables within two hours (one hour if they have been out in temps over 90 degrees). Make sure your fridge is set to a safe temperature, and do not thaw or marinate meat, poultry or seafood outside the fridge.
Cook foods to a safe temperature. The best way to tell if foods are cooked to a safe temperature is to use a food thermometer. You can kill harmful organisms in most foods by cooking them to the right temperature.
Throw out food when in doubt. If you are not sure if a food has been prepared, served or stored safely, discard it. Food left at room temperature for too long may contain bacteria or toxins that cannot be destroyed by cooking. Do not taste food that you are unsure about — just throw it out. Even if it looks and smells fine, it may not be safe to eat.
Conclusion
Many individuals suffer from food poisoning. Fortunately, in healthy adults the symptoms are not very severe – and usually, resolve within one week. In some individuals such as children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic disorders, dehydration that occurs can be very severe and can be life-threatening. Good food preparation can help to prevent many cases of food poisoning.
Ask Your Dr is a health education column and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. The reader should consult his or her physician for specific information concerning specific medical conditions. While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that all information presented is accurate, as research and development in the medical field are ongoing, it is possible that new findings may supersede some data presented.
Dr Brett Hodge MB BS DGO MRCOG is an obstetrician/Gynaecologist and Family Doctor with over thirty-six years in clinical practice. Dr Brett Hodge has a medical practice in The Johnson Building in The Valley (Tel: 264 497 5928).
