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Food poisoning is accompanied by acute abdominal pain, nausea and dizziness. All these symptoms occur within a few minutes or hours after eating. The cause is bacteria or chemicals that got into the products. Food poisoning can happen to anyone, so you need to know not only its symptoms, but also the rules for first aid.
What is called food poisoning?
Food poisoning – This is a violation in the functioning of the digestive system, provoked by the ingestion of pathogenic flora. Its source is food and drinks. Moreover, in some people, the symptoms of poisoning develop acutely, while in others it can be expressed in a mild disorder of the digestive function.
Food poisoning is not to be taken lightly. In severe cases, it can even lead to death. Most often this happens after eating low-quality fish or poisonous mushrooms. Violations in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract can cause bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and poisons (toxins).
Types and classification of food poisoning
Food poisoning is divided into 3 groups:
Food poisoning caused by microbes:
Toxic infections. Pathogenic flora that causes the violation: Proteus mirabilis, P. Vulgaris, E. Coli, Bac. Cereus,
Toxicosis. They can be bacterial (pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Cl. Botulium) and fungal (pathogens Aspergilus, Fusarium, etc.). Bacterial toxicoses have an acute and chronic course. Disruption of the digestive system occurs due to the effect on the body of toxins that accumulate in food. At the same time, very few representatives of the pathogenic flora penetrate the human body.
Non-microbial food poisoning:
Poisoning by poisonous plants, for example, fly agaric, henbane, belladonna, etc.
Poisoning by the meat of poisonous fish or animals, such as barbel fish or pufferfish.
Poisoning by foods that are poisonous under certain circumstances. This can happen when eating green potatoes containing corned beef or raw beans.
Poisoning by animal products that become poisonous under certain circumstances, for example, when eating mackerel, pike or burbot caviar. It becomes toxic when the fish go to spawn.
Poisoning from chemicals found in certain foods, such as nitrates, pesticides, compounds from packaging materials, etc.
Food poisoning with an unexplained cause.
Food poisoning
Foods that can cause food poisoning:
Meat. In it, various bacteria grow and multiply rapidly. It can be staphylococci, E. coli and other representatives of the pathogenic flora. Sometimes they are present in the meat of an animal even during its life, when it suffers from a certain infection. Pathogenic flora enters the human body when he eats unprocessed meat, for example, undercooked. At the same time, microbes can multiply in food that has already been cooked but not stored properly.
A fish. A person can become poisoned if he eats infected fish meat, or a product that has not been stored properly. Some marine inhabitants are poisonous in themselves, such as puffer fish, barracuda, sea bass. Symptoms of poisoning will be due to the type of toxin that has entered the body.
Egg. The likelihood of poisoning is higher when eating eggs of ducks and geese. The waters they swim in may contain microbes. Salmonella can infect eggs and meat of birds. A person becomes infected if he eats foods that have not undergone sufficient heat treatment. In the patient’s body, salmonella begins to produce poison, which irritates and destroys the mucous walls of the intestine. Therefore, the patient has symptoms such as: diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, etc.
Milk. They can be poisoned when it was obtained in unsanitary conditions and the person drank it unboiled. If bacteria were present on the udder of a goat or cow, they will enter the milk during milking. Therefore, before drinking homemade milk, it must be boiled.
Cottage cheese. In this fermented milk product, bacteria multiply rapidly, for which there are favorable conditions in it. The longer the cottage cheese is warm, the higher the number of pathogenic flora.
Poisoning by poisonous plants, mushrooms, berries
Plants that can cause food poisoning include:
Belena. This herb is very toxic, as it contains atropine and scopolamine. Once in the human body, poisons cause convulsions, thirst, dizziness, motor and emotional excitement, weakness, etc. If the poisoning is serious, then the patient’s respiratory function is impaired, he loses consciousness and may die.
Hemlock. The grass contains a powerful poison – koniin. Once in the digestive tract, it quickly penetrates into the bloodstream, affecting the central nervous system. A person is paralyzed, he cannot move his arms or legs. The lethal outcome develops due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles.
Toadstool (pale toadstool). The pale toadstool contains poison that destroys liver cells, as well as other body tissues. As a result of this influence, the functioning of organs that ensure human life is disrupted. If he is not given timely treatment, he will die from cardiac arrest or suffocate.
Belladonna. These berries contain atropine and scopolamine. The symptoms of poisoning are the same as in poisoning with henbane.
Wolfberry The berries contain meserine and daphne. Moreover, there are toxic compounds not only in the fruits of the plant, but also in its roots and leaves. Once ingested, toxic substances cause a burning sensation in the mouth. Then there is pain in the abdomen, nausea and vomiting. With severe poisoning, convulsions develop.
Botulinum toxin poisoning
Produces Clostridia botulinum toxin. Spores of this microorganism are able to exist for a long time in the soil, in the meat of dead animals, in silt, etc.
Once in the human body, the bacteria themselves do not cause symptoms of intoxication, since they are able to increase their numbers only in conditions deprived of oxygen.
Botulism toxins can enter the body from canned food (meat or vegetables) that has been prepared in violation of technology. In an anaerobic environment, under a closed lid, clostridia multiply rapidly. Bacteria release botulinum toxin into food. This is one of the most powerful poisons for humans. Once in the blood, it reaches the central nervous system and damages the nerve fibers. If medical assistance is not provided in time, the person will die from respiratory arrest.
mold poisoning
Mold is a fungus that can grow inside and on food. When it enters the digestive system, mold leads to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Poisoning develops due to the fact that fungi secrete mycotoxins in the body, which negatively affect all its systems. Some subspecies of mold fungi are capable of destroying bacteria, which are abundant in the human intestine (we are talking about “useful” flora). Without these microbes, normal digestion of food is impossible. Since the mold destroys them, a person has symptoms of intoxication of the body. In addition to nausea and vomiting, bloating, constipation, abdominal pain, etc. may be disturbing.
Vitamin poisoning
An excess of vitamins poses a threat to human health:
Vitamin A. This vitamin has an effect on the eyes, so when it is overabundant, corresponding symptoms occur. The first sign of poisoning is double vision. Then the person begins to feel sick, vomiting may occur. This is due to the fact that the vitamin negatively affects the functioning of the nervous system. If a person systematically receives high doses of vitamin A, then his skin begins to peel off, hair falls out, itching of various parts of the body is observed.
Vitamin D. If acute poisoning occurs, then the person feels sick and vomits, he is dizzy and his head hurts. The heart begins to beat faster, body temperature rises, convulsions may develop. Chronic vitamin D poisoning leads to decreased appetite, diarrhea, or constipation. The person becomes nervous. If the process of vitamin D intake is not stopped in time, severe damage to the heart and blood vessels, bone tissue and other organ systems will occur.
Vitamin C. Its large doses negatively affect the state of the central nervous system. The patient has insomnia, the body temperature may rise. The person will complain of headache, dizziness and nausea. The skin and mucous membranes become dry.
Vitamin B1. A person has an inexplicable weakness, he does not sleep well, his appetite disappears, his head starts to hurt. With severe intoxication, internal organs suffer. This primarily concerns the liver and kidneys.
Vitamin B6. If it regularly enters the body in high doses, then the peripheral nervous system suffers, the sensitivity of the hands and feet worsens, convulsions may occur, and weight may decrease.
Vitamin B12. Its high doses lead to damage to the thyroid gland, which is responsible for the production of hormones. There is scientific evidence that an excess of vitamin B12 leads to the growth of malignant cells in the body.
Folic acid. Its excessive intake in the body leads to nausea, vomiting, nervous overexcitation, insomnia, headaches. If there is too much folic acid, then the heart, blood vessels, and urinary system suffer.
Vitamin E. Its intake in the body in high dosages leads to the fact that a person begins to have a headache. He will quickly get tired, he may feel sick. In the future, the immune system weakens, which causes health problems.
Poisoning by nitrates, nitrites, pesticides
Nitrates are salts of nitric acid that are used as fertilizers for plants. These chemicals have the ability to accumulate in fruits if used in significant amounts during cultivation.
When nitrates enter the human body, they are converted into nitrites. These poisonous compounds attack red blood cells, which are responsible for supplying oxygen to tissues. A person has symptoms of hypoxia. With a slight poisoning, a headache, dizziness, and unmotivated fatigue appear. In severe cases, death may occur.
There are several degrees of severity of poisoning.
They depend on how seriously the human body was affected:
Light poisoning. Internal organs are not affected, hospitalization is not required.
Moderate poisoning. The state of health of a person is deteriorating, there are violations in the work of some organs. The heart rate may become more frequent, blood pressure may rise or fall, and sometimes there is an increase in body temperature. There is no threat to life, but hospitalization is required. The hospital has the ability to control the well-being of a person and prevent its sharp deterioration.
Severe poisoning. With such intoxication, a malfunction occurs in the work of internal organs. Sometimes a person loses consciousness, he has acute urinary retention, pressure drops sharply, dehydration develops, fainting occurs, etc. People with such symptoms are necessarily hospitalized. If a person is not taken to the hospital, then the risk of death is high.
Extreme poisoning. Such intoxication of the body leads to a sharp deterioration in well-being. If the patient is not provided with immediate medical care, he will die. All patients admitted to the hospital with severe symptoms of poisoning are transferred to intensive care.
Fatal poisoning. In such a situation, it is not possible to cope with intoxication even in a hospital. Sometimes a person does not even have time to be hospitalized.
Signs of food poisoning
If a child is poisoned, then the symptoms of the disorder appear in him after a few hours. In an adult, the prodromal period can last up to a day.
The main signs of food poisoning include:
Headaches that tend to get worse.
Salivation.
Excessive sweating.
Dizziness.
Dryness in the mouth.
Gas formation.
Violation of urination.
An increase in body temperature to high levels. This happens only when poisoning with mushrooms.
Weakness in the muscles, their soreness.
Drop in blood pressure.
Lack of desire to eat.
Abdominal pain. Most of the time, she’s squishy.
Diarrhea.
Paleness or blueness of the skin.
When is hospitalization required?
Seek medical attention as soon as possible if:
There is blood in the vomit and stool.
Body temperature rises to high levels.
The patient develops seizures.
There are disorders of the central nervous system.
The pulse becomes slow, breathing heavy.
Face, arms and legs swell.
Muscles weaken, it is difficult for a person to hold objects or stand on his feet.
If you do not contact a specialist in time, the risk of coma is high.
First aid for food poisoning
To help a poisoned person, first you need to free his gastrointestinal tract from food masses:
Cleansing the stomach. It is washed with a solution of soda or a solution of potassium permanganate. Flushing is performed until the vomit is represented only by water, without food particles. To perform the procedure, you can use a weak solution of potassium permanganate or soda. For 2 liters of water, take a few grains of potassium permanganate or a tablespoon of soda. A person must independently drink the prepared solution and artificially induce vomiting. To do this, press 2 fingers on the root of the tongue. It is necessary to wash the stomach until only a clear solution begins to come out of it, without food particles. Too zealous with inducing vomiting should not be. The absence of nausea indicates that the toxic product has already been digested in the stomach and passed into the intestines.
Cleaning the intestines. Diarrhea that develops with food poisoning cannot be stopped with medicines. Together with feces, the digestive tract organs get rid of harmful substances that caused intoxication. If the feces remain in the intestines, toxins from it will continue to be absorbed into the bloodstream, which will lead to a deterioration in well-being. Therefore, when the intestines do not clear themselves, a laxative or an enema should be taken.
Removal of harmful substances. After cleansing with an enema and washing the stomach, it is necessary to bind the toxins remaining in the body, not to allow them to be absorbed into the blood. To do this, spend 3 courses of absorption with an interval of 20 minutes. Normally, a person should stop diarrhea and vomiting, improve overall well-being. You can use any drug that is at hand to bind harmful substances. Activated charcoal is suitable (the dosage is calculated on an individual basis, based on the patient’s body weight – 10 tablet is taken for every 1 kg of weight. White charcoal is taken only 2-4 tablets at a time), Enterosgel, Polysorb.
Restoration of water-salt balance. If a person vomits, they develop continuous diarrhea, and their body temperature rises, dehydration will happen quickly. Together with the liquid, mineral salts are excreted from the body, so their deficiency must be compensated. To do this, you should use special pharmaceutical preparations, for example, Regidron. The powder is dissolved in water. It should be warm and boiled. Drink this solution in small sips.
From improvised means, you can make a saline solution (a teaspoon of salt is diluted in 1 liter of warm boiled water), and a decoction of chamomile, tea with sugar is also suitable. Taking warm drinks in case of poisoning not only replenishes fluid reserves, but also helps to improve well-being.
Food peace. In past years, doctors strongly recommended that you stop eating for a day after the poisoning happened. Now experts point out that if you have an appetite, you need to eat. The fact is that the affected mucous membrane of the digestive tract must be restored, and when there are no products, this does not happen. However, force-feeding a person during diarrhea or vomiting, of course, should not be. Moreover, the products must be light.
[Video] First aid for poisoning in the program “Live great!”: