Food poisoning

Food toxicoinfection is a very serious, acute condition of the human body, which is caused by the ingress of pathogenic organisms, toxic products of plants or animals, as well as chemically aggressive substances.

Foodborne disease: Symptoms and classification

Symptoms of poisoning directly depend on the nature of the toxin and the severity of the poisoning. In most cases - it is a strong vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, in some cases, a skin rash.

Since it is pathogenic microorganisms that are most often the cause of food poisoning, it is necessary to familiarize themselves with their varieties and the main symptoms of intoxication.

Staphylococcal food poisoning. Its peculiarity is that the incubation period is from 30 minutes to several hours - the symptoms of poisoning develop almost immediately. The patient complains of nausea, which goes into a vomiting. There is also a pain in the stomach, while a fever or diarrhea may be absent. Infection occurs when eating poor-quality dairy or confectionery products.

- Intoxication with E. coli. The disease develops approximately 4-10 hours after the bacteria enters the microorganism. It begins with acute poisoning with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The chair does not contain mucus or blood, but has a characteristic sour smell. As a rule, poisoning occurs after eating improperly prepared, infected vegetables.

- Streptococcal food poisoning is a rather specific poisoning, which is manifested not only by disturbances in the digestive tract (nausea, diarrhea), but also in the lesion of the larynx, which resembles angina.

Foodborne disease: treatment

With severe attacks of vomiting, frequent, fetid diarrhea with blood and strong pain in the abdomen, it is immediately necessary to see the doctor, especially if it is a poisoning of a young child or a pregnant woman. In the most severe cases of intoxication, an immediate gastric lavage is required . To this end, they can use simple boiled water, a solution of soda or special medicines.

In addition, the sick patient should drink as much liquid as possible - this can be simple, pure water, tea without sugar or weak solutions of baking soda, salt. The total volume of the liquid must be at least 3 liters per day. In some cases, a sick person should literally force himself to drink because of strong and persistent attacks of nausea. First, in this way, you can quickly get rid of the symptoms of intoxication. Secondly, a plentiful drink prevents the development of dehydration, which is manifested as a result of severe diarrhea.

In the future, you must adhere to a balanced diet, which excludes all heavy, spicy and spicy foods.

Food poisoning: methods of prevention

It is worth noting that in almost all cases, toxins enter a healthy body together with food. To begin with, it is worth remembering that before consumption, all products should be thoroughly washed and not neglected by the correct methods of heat treatment.

If you notice that the food has an unpleasant smell, uncharacteristic color or texture, it looks stale, it shows signs of rot, then refuse to use it. Do not neglect sanitary and hygienic rules.

As for poisoning with chemical toxins, most often this condition is observed among toddlers who have tried the taste of household chemicals. That's why such things must be kept out of the reach of children. Do not also keep powders, soap and other products directly next to food or tableware.