Poisonings – causes and treatment

Proven content

Poisoning is a state of dysfunction of the body due to the introduction of poison into it. Poisoning may be a deliberate act (deliberate poisoning) or it may appear completely unconsciously (accidental poisoning).

What are poisoning?

Poisoning is a common disorder that often occurs completely by chance. We can become poisoned as a result of exposure to toxic substances, e.g. insecticides or through food. Then we are talking about food poisoning, which is an acute gastrointestinal ailment in the course of which vomiting and diarrhea are observed. The incubation period of food poisoning is relatively rare, as it usually lasts several hours (at most a few days). Food poisoning is very often observed in the summer, after eating spoiled food, poisonous mushrooms or ice cream of unknown origin. People very often poison themselves at home, consuming over-the-counter drugs, such as light sleeping pills, sedatives, and antidepressants.

Types of poisoning

Taking into account the causes of formation, poisoning can be divided into:

1. deliberate poisoning – suicidal poisoning, self-poisoning without suicidal tendencies, criminal poisoning, executions with poison,
2. accidental poisoning – accidental ingestion of poison, treatment complications, poisoning as a result of contamination of the natural environment or work environment.

Clinical classification of poisoning

Taking into account the course of intoxication and its severity, there is a distinction between acute, subacute and chronic poisoning.

1. Acute poisoning is characterized by a rapid development of disease symptoms after ingestion of a large, single dose of poison.
2. Subacute poisoning is observed when the clinical symptoms of poisoning are visible, but not as severe as in acute poisoning, and occur after a single or multiple dose of poison.
3. Chronic poisonings result from the long-term action of the toxic substance in small doses and often do not show visible symptoms. Only after a longer period of time, due to the accumulation of poison in the body, symptoms of chronic poisoning occur (occupational poisoning related to long-term exposure to toxic substances in the work environment).

The causes of poisoning

The cause of poisoning may be a deliberate action aimed at depriving health. It happens especially in people who cannot cope with difficult life situations and are looking for an escape from trouble. Very often, such people see no other way out of the situation and, wanting to attract attention and receive help, resort to poisoning themselves. These are most often suicidal poisonings.

Poisonings can also be completely accidental and unconscious. They occur especially in young children, who, unattended, reach for dangerous substances with a toxic effect, e.g. preparations for cleaning toilets or unblocking pipes. Another, equally serious problem is the increasingly common alcohol poisoning and drug addiction.

Poisoning through the respiratory tract

Inhalation poisoning occurs when we inhale toxic fumes or gases. One such example is carbon monoxide poisoning, which is common in homes with malfunctioning ventilation. In people poisoned by the respiratory tract, the following is observed:

1. cough,
2. shortness of breath
3. dizziness,
4. disturbance of consciousness, loss of consciousness.

If you want to help a poisoned person, you should first think about your own safety. Move the patient to a safe place with access to fresh air, and then call an ambulance. If the victim is unconscious check their breathing and start resuscitation if necessary. However, if the injured is breathing – place him in a safe position.

Food poisoning

Food poisoning is observed as a result of deliberate or accidental ingestion of a harmful substance, e.g. acids, drugs. This type of poisoning is a common affliction of young children who swallow a dangerous substance due to the caregiver’s carelessness. The following symptoms are characteristic of food poisoning:

1. nausea,
2. vomiting,
3. dizziness,
4. breathing disorders,
5. palpitations,
6. disturbances of consciousness,
7. loss of consciousness.

As with inhalation poisoning, assess the casualty and perform CPR if unconscious. Otherwise, it is enough to place the patient in a safe position. Until the ambulance arrives, the victim’s behavior should be carefully monitored.

Blueberry blueberry fruit has a soothing effect on the symptoms of food poisoning, so it is worth taking advantage of it in such cases. At Medonet Market you can buy dried blueberry berries, which you can use to make tea for digestion and poisoning.

The most common food poisoning

1. SALMONELLOZA

Poisoning is caused by Salmonella bacilli. You bacteria live naturally in the digestive tract of farmed wild animals, and the infection itself does not cause disease symptoms. Salmonella sticks are excreted together with the faeces, and thanks to favorable conditions they can survive outside the living organism for up to several months (in soil, water, powdered milk, egg white). Poisoning with salmonella (a small amount of bacteria) can occur in humans without any symptoms. Only poisoning with more sticks causes serious gastrointestinal ailments, incl. stomach ache, nausea, vomiting, fever. Salmonellosis is especially dangerous in young children, the elderly and the debilitated people, because the sticks can penetrate internal organs, thus causing, for example, cholangitis, sepsis or meningitis.

How is it infected?

A person can become infected with salmonella through:

1. products from infected animals (milk, eggs, meat),
2. products contaminated with faeces of sick animals,
3. poultry of infected household animals and people who shed Salmonella in their faeces.

The most common carriers of Salmonella are: jellies, dumplings, pates, ice cream, homemade mayonnaise, raw eggs and soups for babies.

To avoid getting salmonella, you should:

1. after using the toilet – wash your hands (especially before preparing meals),
2. take care of the cleanliness of dishes and kitchen utensils and the kitchen itself,
3. create a separate place in the refrigerator for raw meat and fish,
4. avoid defrosting and re-freezing food,
5. remember to store food at low temperature,
6. before eating raw meat and fish, subject them to thermal treatment (stewing, baking, frying),
7. completely defrost raw meat and fish before frying, stewing or cooking them,
8. avoid eating products of unknown origin (especially ice cream and cookies).

2. APH. FOOD POISONING

Staphylococcal poisoning is caused by a bacterium Staphylococcus aureu. These bacteria occur naturally in the environment and multiply in pre-cooked foods. Symptoms of staphylococcal poisoning appear very quickly, as early as 2-6 hours after eating the poisoned food. In injured persons the occurrence of abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, cold sweats and general weakness is observed.

To avoid poisoning you should:

1. remember about the basic rules of hygiene,
2. do not let sick people (sore throat, runny nose, purulent lesions on the hands) touch the food we eat,
3. store food at low temperature.

3. POISONING BY SAUSAGE VENOM

Botulinum venom is a toxin that is produced by anaerobic bacteria. The site of natural occurrence of botulinum toxin is earth. Thus, food products contaminated with soil and then improperly stored are a medium for these microorganisms. Botulinum poisoning occurs most often after eating various types of canned food: meat, fish, vegetables, as well as cured and smoked meat. The contaminated foods smell of rancid fat and contain large amounts of gas that make the cans puff out. Some products do not arouse suspicion at all, so to be sure – cook the canned food for at least 10 minutes.

The symptoms of botulism are quite distinctive. They occur about 18-96 hours after eating the contaminated food. At first, the victim develops visual disturbances, e.g. vision behind the fog, followed by drooping eyelids and trouble swallowing and speaking. In fact, the symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract are minor, the following may appear: constipation, abdominal pain or vomiting. As a rule, fever does not occur and the patient is conscious all the time. Unfortunately, botulism is very dangerous, because the patient may die from cardiac arrest or suffocation.

Methods to avoid botulism:

1. To destroy the botulinum toxin spores, cook the canned food three times (on the 1st and 2nd day for 1h, and on the 3rd day for 30 minutes),
2. before eating canned food, remember to heat it properly (temperature 80 degrees Celsius),
3. avoid secondary food contamination.

Poisoning – treatment

The most important thing is quick and precise assessment of the patient’s condition. The most serious disorders and impairments of some organs, such as the cardiovascular system, nervous system, liver and kidneys, should be carefully diagnosed and treated immediately, regardless of the situation of the victim. This is called supportive treatment, multidirectional, in which many techniques used in intensive care are used. The first step in poisoning is inducing vomiting. When you vomit, the poison is removed from your body. However, before they are provoked, the patient is advised to drink a large amount of fluids and then irritate the back of the throat, e.g. with a finger. Such actions should be repeated several times until the doctor’s arrival. However, remember not to induce vomiting in people who have poisoned themselves with caustic, easily foaming substances or solvents. Such actions are also contraindicated in unconscious people with convulsions (it may lead to suffocation).

The next step in case of poisoning is to give the injured person laxatives, the task of which is to remove the toxin from the intestines. As in the case of provoking vomiting, they should not be administered in case of poisoning with heavy metal salts or acids.

In acute poisonings, however, it is undertaken an attempt to detoxify. The sooner the casualty receives an antidote, the greater the chance that it will bind to the toxin and delay its absorption mechanism. The most commonly used antidotes are:

1. skimmed milk (indicated in case of poisoning with caustic substances, and contraindicated in case of poisoning with fat-soluble substances),
2. healing charcoal (helps to remove toxins and prevents irritation of mucous membranes; healing charcoal is used in poisoning with mushrooms, alkaloids and drugs),
3. corn, rice, cereal or potato flour (grinding it with water prevents corrosive substances from destroying the gastric mucosa),
4. egg white (has an antacid and alkaline effect).

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