Food poisoning in an adult
Food poisoning can deliver a lot of unpleasant moments, and in some cases even threaten life. Together with an expert, we find out why food poisoning occurs, what symptoms accompany it and what precautions will help to avoid it

Food poisoning occurs when metal salts, bacterial toxins, and toxic substances found in certain mushrooms, plants, and seafood enter the human body along with food. Very often, the causes of poisoning are improper storage and processing of products.

What is food poisoning

Food poisoning is a condition that occurs after eating foods that contain toxins.

  • Poisoning occurs after eating poisonous mushrooms or plants, or fish or shellfish contaminated with toxins.
  • The most common symptoms are diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, less commonly seizures and paralysis.
  • Diagnosis is based on the symptoms and examination of the foods eaten.
  • To reduce the risk of poisoning, do not eat wild or unfamiliar mushrooms and plants, fish contaminated with toxins.
  • The best treatment is to replace body fluids and empty the stomach of toxic contents, but some toxins are deadly.

– Most food poisonings are manifested by sudden, repeated vomiting and diarrhea as a result of inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. People often refer to all such disorders as “food poisoning.” However, in most cases, vomiting and diarrhea is caused by a bacterial or viral infection of the gastrointestinal tract.

The only true food poisoning is gastroenteritis caused by a toxin ingested. The toxin may be a product of the vital activity of bacteria that live in contaminated food (for example, staphylococcus aureus or the causative agent of botulism). Many poisonous plants, mushrooms, fish and seafood contain toxic components that affect the digestive tract and other organs, our expert explains. therapist Olga Klochkova.

Also, gastroenteritis can also occur in people who have consumed foods contaminated with third-party toxins:

  • unwashed fruits and vegetables treated with insecticides containing arsenic, lead and other toxins;
  • products that have been in lead-glazed dishes for a long time;
  • foods that have been stored in containers made of cadmium-containing material.

What you need to know about food poisoning

Evidencenausea, vomiting, weak pulse, diarrhea, fever, stomach pain.
Causespoisonous mushrooms and plants, some types of fish and seafood, food contaminated with insecticides, bacterial toxins, lead and cadmium salts.
Dangerous productsunwashed vegetables and fruits, poisonous mushrooms and plants, expired products, homemade canned food.
How to helpdrinking plenty of fluids, bed rest, activated charcoal and calling an ambulance.

Symptoms of food poisoning in adults

The main symptoms of food poisoning are nausea, repeated vomiting and diarrhea, which develop almost immediately after eating low-quality food.1. Most often, these manifestations make themselves felt after one or several hours, in rare cases, a day after eating poor-quality products.

The stool is usually liquid, with an unpleasant odor and the remnants of undigested food, sometimes with blood. Food poisoning is characterized by symptoms of intoxication – headache, general weakness, rarely – fever1. There may also be increased salivation, visual disturbances (fog before the eyes, double vision), palpitations.

Symptoms of poisoning when using home canned food (vegetables, mushrooms, stew, etc.) can be associated with the reproduction of the bacterium clostridium botulinum, the causative agent of botulism infection. These bacteria release a dangerous toxin, botulinum toxin, which can accumulate in canned food over time. In case of poisoning with botulinum toxin, disorders from the work of the central nervous system are possible (paresis of the respiratory muscles, double vision, difficulty swallowing).

Signs of poisoning with insecticides, lead, cadmium depend on their toxic properties and can affect a number of important organs.

Symptoms of chemical poisoning include:

  • disorders of the nervous system (coma, acute psychosis, paresis and paralysis);
  • dysfunction of the respiratory system (bronchospasm, pulmonary edema, paralysis of the respiratory muscles);
  • damage to the cardiovascular system (acute heart failure);
  • acute liver failure;
  • acute renal failure.

When poisoning with mushrooms and poisonous plants, the symptoms depend on the type of plant poison2.

Muscarine, contained in some types of mushrooms, causes the following symptoms of poisoning:

  • increased tearing and salivation;
  • narrowing (compression) of the pupils;
  • increased sweating;
  • vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea;
  • dizziness.
  • muscle twitches;
  • confusion, coma, seizures (sometimes)2.

Although some of these symptoms are severe, most affected people have mild symptoms and usually resolve within 12 hours. For severe symptoms, atropine is given intravenously, and almost all patients recover within 24 hours.2. If left untreated, severe poisoning can lead to death in a few hours.

Ciguatera poisoning is a generic term for poisoning that can occur when eating certain tropical reef fish. The toxin is secreted by certain types of algae that fish feed on, and it, in turn, accumulates in the meat of the fish.

Older and larger fish (sea bass, snapper and king mackerel) are more toxic than smaller and younger fish, while the taste of the fish does not change. Existing processing methods (including culinary) do not destroy the toxin.

Primary symptoms of poisoning (abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea) can begin 2-8 hours after eating fish and last from several hours to a day.

After being poisoned for several months, the victim may show late symptoms, nervous irritability and other unusual sensations. Late symptoms include:

  • itching;
  • tingling sensation, goosebumps;
  • headache;
  • muscle aches, pain in the face;
  • replacing the sensations of heat and cold with opposites.

Treatment of food poisoning in adults

Treatment of food poisoning at home is possible only after a doctor’s examination. Depending on the condition of the patient, the doctor will recommend treatment at home or hospitalization in a hospital.

First aid at home

First aid for poisoning is aimed at eliminating the toxin.

If food poisoning is suspected, it is important to immediately flush the stomach with plenty of water at room temperature. It is necessary to wash the stomach until the washing water becomes clear.

You should consult a doctor in the following cases:

  • you have more than 6 loose stools per day;
  • you have blood in your vomit or stool;
  • you have a fever to febrile values ​​​​(above 38,5 degrees) and do not pass during the day;
  • you have severe abdominal pain1;
  • you are 70 years old or older1;
  • your body has lost too much water, that is, dehydration has set in.

Signs of dehydration:

  • frequent loose stools;
  • severe weakness;
  • thirst;
  • dry mouth;
  • muscle spasms;
  • dizziness1;
  • confusion1;
  • very yellow urine or no need to urinate for more than five hours.

Young children and the elderly with symptoms should always see a doctor or nurse1because these groups are more easily dehydrated.

Treatment of food poisoning is symptomatic. The role of enterosorbents in the treatment of food poisoning is greatly exaggerated. You don’t need to take loperamide and other diarrhea medications on your own, especially if you have a fever and blood in your stools. All of these medications can be prescribed by a doctor.

In order to prevent dehydration of the body with repeated vomiting or diarrhea, it is necessary to take a large amount of fluid. There are special saline solutions3. Usually they are available in the form of powders, which must be diluted in warm boiled water.3. With indomitable vomiting and diarrhea, hospitalization is required, intravenous drip infusion of solutions and other symptomatic therapy are performed.

Prevention of food poisoning in adults

In order to avoid food poisoning, you must follow the basic rules of personal hygiene:

  • wash your hands before eating,
  • wash or thermally process food before eating and observe the shelf life,
  • do not eat unfamiliar plants and mushrooms. Thoroughly wash dishes and cutting boards.
  • use high-quality utensils for serving and storing food.

It is important to pay attention to the smell, taste, condition of the products and immediately throw them away if they look stale, for example, covered with mold.

The most common food poisoning can cause dairy products, cakes with cream.

You need to be very careful with home canning products and remember that botulinum toxin is destroyed during heat treatment within 5-15 minutes. Therefore, you can boil the contents of an open package of canned food if you doubt the quality.

Home-canned jars should open with a characteristic pop, indicating that they have been hermetically sealed. If there was no such cotton, the use of the product should be discarded.

Popular questions and answers

Olga Klochkova, a therapist at the DocMed Evidence-Based Medicine Clinic, answers popular questions about food poisoning.

How quickly does poisoning occur after eating?

— From one to several hours.

What can you eat with food poisoning?

– With food poisoning, there is usually no appetite, and constant nausea and vomiting do not allow you to eat anything. Usually, mild forms of food poisoning disappear within a day, then the usual recommendations for a healthy diet, that is, avoid rough, irritating foods, very spicy and salty, hot foods, alcohol, reduce the amount of fatty foods. If the poisoning is severe, in the hospital, doctors may prescribe parenteral nutrition.

How to get rid of weakness after poisoning?

– Weakness usually goes away on its own. It helps to quickly remove the toxin and replenish fluid losses.

How to distinguish poisoning from rotavirus infection?

Distinguishing poisoning from a viral disease or a bacterial intestinal infection is not so easy. In case of poisoning, it is often possible to establish its source, especially if it has survived, and it can be taken for analysis. Symptoms develop very quickly, within a few hours.

Food poisoning is not transmitted from person to person. If we are talking about mass poisoning, then the reason lies in the rotavirus infection. Symptoms can occur in people who have close contact with each other, when sharing utensils or when living in the same room.

With rotavirus infection, the temperature often rises to high numbers, with food poisoning this happens much less often. Rotavirus infection lasts for several days, and sometimes weeks. Food poisoning in most cases, with competent assistance, can pass in a few hours or within 1-3 days.

Sources of:

  1. Vidal. Medical encyclopedia. Food poisoning. https://www.vidal.ru/encyclopedia/infektsionniebolesni/pishevie-otravleniya
  2. Clinical guidelines. 2020 Toxic effect of toxic substances contained in eaten mushrooms. LLC Association of Clinical Toxicologists. Approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation http://www.toxicology.ru/docs/rek/06_26112020.pdf
  3. Pharmaceutical Bulletin of 04.07.2016/XNUMX/XNUMX. “Food poisoning”. Svetlana Abramova. https://pharmvestnik.ru/content/articles/pischevye-toksikoinfektsii.html

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