Food poisoning: causes, symptoms, and self-help techniques

Food poisoning - a painful condition which has arisen due to the consumption of food or water, which contain bacteria, viruses, parasites, their toxins, organic or inorganic poisons.

This means that the cause can be both harmful bacteria and pesticides or heavy metals. A contact of food with pathogenic agent can occur at any stage of the cultivation of plants and animals to the preparation and use of it, for example, unwashed hands. Thus, food and water can cause more than 200 diseases of diarrhea to oncology.

According to WHO statistics, every year from diseases associated with food, affects about 600 million people, and 420 thousand of them die. 40% of the patients are children under 5 years.

Food poisoning: causes, symptoms and methods of self-help / pixabay.com

poisoning Causes

poisoning may be the cause of spoiled food, expired food products. Also, the reason may be:

• Bacteria and / or their toxins. Most frequent: Staphylococcus pathogens salmonellosis, dysentery, E. coli, Campylobacter. Most dangerous: Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of botulism.
• Viruses. The most common - noroviruses, rotaviruses. The most dangerous - the virus of hepatitis A.
• Parasites. And if, for example, Giardia do not cause serious harm to health, the intestinal amebiasis - quite serious illness.
• Pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals and other contaminants that cause health problems. A striking example - poisoning by nitrates in the use of fruits and vegetables.

Food poisoning: causes, symptoms and methods of self-help / pixabay.com

Symptoms of poisoning

Usually food poisoning symptoms appear in the range of from several hours to several days after ingestion of food or water of poor quality. Whatever the reason is usually present symptoms:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain and / or discomfort in the abdomen, cramps in the gut
• Diarrhea (diarrhea)
• There are also a weakness, fever, headache.

All of these symptoms may be varying degrees of severity and in different combinations.

In most cases, food poisoning is not a serious threat to life and health, and require only a symptomatic treatment, however, there are signs, in which you need to seek emergency medical attention help.

• Diarrhea for more than 3 consecutive days
• Body temperature above 39,5 ° C
• Hearing and / or vision
• Impaired consciousness, coordination, convulsions
• Signs of severe dehydration: dry mucous membranes of the mouth and eyes, a significant reduction in the amount of urine or the lack of
• Inability to replace losses of liquid through the mouth, for example, due to vomiting or drowsiness strong
• Vomiting more than two times in a row in a child up to a year.

Food poisoning: causes, symptoms and methods of self-help / pixabay.com

Particularly at risk

In the group of risk and severe food poisoning are children under one year, pregnant women, people with severe immune disorders (eg, receiving special treatment after organ transplantation, autoimmune diseases).

Treatment and self-care

As a rule, poisoning symptoms disappear on their own in 3-5 days. The main task of the parents and the doctor - to prevent dehydration of the body and the baby to facilitate the general condition at the time of illness.

What drink to give

• For desoldering use special pharmaceutical preparations in the form of a powder that must be dissolved in boiling water according to the instructions. They contain glucose and essential minerals that are also lost with vomiting, diarrhea, and as the temperature rises.
• If crumb categorically refuses to drink or drug causes a gag reflex, try to alternate mineral water without gas and slightly sweetened weak tea or uzvar apples and raisins.
• Typically the volume of drinking calculated physician based on the age, body weight and fluid loss. However, there is an easy way to parental control, if a child drinks enough: if the kid walks in a little at least once in a couple of hours of light or yellowish urine, it is not too sluggish, so all It goes according to plan.
• Well, if the crumb is not showing interest in your favorite cartoons and games, urinating rarely, slowly, and the urine is very concentrated, it is necessary otpaivat more intensively.
• Liquid is best to offer first 1-2 teaspoons every 5-7 minutes. When retching become less or disappear entirely, you can increase the amount of one-time drinking. Ideally, the liquid should be body temperature, then it will be absorbed quickly and as fully as possible.

Sometimes in severe vomiting antiemetic doctor prescribes medication in the form of a syrup or injection. Then you need to wait at least 20-30 minutes, and only then continue desoldering.

Myths about poisoning

1. Vomiting should not be stopped. It is not true! Meticulous researchers found that for a complete cleansing of the stomach (if there are harmful substances still remain) only two episodes of vomiting. If the stomach is still continuing "strike", it only leads to additional loss of water and important minerals!
2. Do not be afraid of antipyreticsBecause high temperatures - cause of "invisible loss" of water! Evaporation from the surface of the skin at a fever may increase by several times! If vomiting can be used antipyretic candles, and diarrhea - syrups. If you can not provide a cure by any of these methods, better go to the hospital.

Most children with food poisoning can be treated at home, but in severe cases may require intravenous administration of fluids and medications in the hospital.

No need to cram in all the contents of the child home kit! It can enhance vomiting, cause allergies or other unforeseen effects. The effectiveness of sorbents "good bacteria", intestinal antiseptic unproven!!! Well, your grandmother ftalazol and chloramphenicol do absolutely contraindicated in children! Before medical examination your task - only otpaivat and shoot down the temperature.

Also you will be interested to read this: poisoning the child household cleaning products: it is important to know the parents