Symptoms and Treatment of Food Poisoning

Symptoms

1. Digestive symptoms

The food we eat is broken down into nutrients in the digestive tract and absorbed. If toxins or bacteria are mixed into the food, the body quickly tries to eliminate them by expelling the toxin through vomiting if it is in the upper digestive tract, or through diarrhea if it is in the lower digestive tract.

2. Systemic symptoms

When food poisoning is caused by toxins from microorganisms, the toxin is often not absorbed in the digestive tract and mainly causes digestive symptoms such as vomiting. However, food poisoning caused by bacteria attaching to or invading the intestinal wall often presents with digestive symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea, along with a fever throughout the body. Toxins produced by some bacteria may also cause symptoms such as nerve paralysis, muscle spasms, and impaired consciousness.

Diagnosis

Food poisoning can be suspected when symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever occur after eating contaminated food. Except in special cases, the symptoms are very similar, so the cause of food poisoning cannot be determined by symptoms alone. However, the time interval between eating the food and the onset of symptoms can suggest whether the food poisoning is due to a pathogen or a toxin. If the symptoms of food poisoning are mild, testing to identify the causative organism is unnecessary, but if fever and enteritis symptoms are severe, a bacterial culture test is needed. When food poisoning occurs in groups, cover the food suspected of contamination, store it in the refrigerator, and report it to the public health center.

Treatment

The primary treatment for food poisoning is fluid replacement to compensate for water loss from vomiting or diarrhea and to correct electrolyte imbalance.

In patients with food poisoning, the intestinal mucosa is damaged and digestive absorption function is reduced, so eating food may worsen diarrhea due to impaired digestion and absorption. Water containing glucose or electrolytes is absorbed more quickly than plain water, so it helps to drink boiled water mixed with sugar or salt, or to drink commercially available sports drinks. Once diarrhea decreases, start with bland foods such as thin rice gruel or rice porridge. Even in severe diarrhea, the intestines can absorb water, so drinking plenty of water as much as possible is good for preventing dehydration. If dehydration is so severe that the patient becomes weak, or if vomiting is severe and water cannot be taken, intravenous fluid administration is needed at a medical facility. In cases of bloody stool or severe fever, antibiotic treatment may be necessary depending on the doctor's judgment.

Vomiting, a symptom of food poisoning, is a response that expels toxins from the stomach and intestines, and diarrhea is a response that washes out toxins in the intestines. Therefore, using antidiarrheal drugs carelessly when diarrhea is severe may delay the elimination of toxins or bacteria in the intestines, prolong recovery, and worsen the course of the illness.

General food poisoning prevention guidelines

1. Summer food poisoning prevention guidelines

In summer, as temperatures rise, the incidence of food poisoning can increase sharply, so extra care should be taken when handling and preparing food at home or in group meal facilities.

· All food should be cooked before eating, and water must be boiled before drinking.

· Do not leave prepared food at room temperature.

· Food that has been cooked once should be thoroughly reheated before eating.

· Wrap raw food and cooked food separately in different bags, then place them in containers so they do not mix.

· Knives and cutting boards used for meat and seafood should be kept separate to prevent cross-contamination.

· Wash your hands thoroughly before cooking, before eating, after using the restroom, and after going out.

· Keep all areas in the kitchen clean, and pay special attention to the cleanliness of the countertops, cutting boards, knives, and dishcloths.

· Avoid serving raw food at group meals such as at shopping malls, wedding halls, and school trips.

· When preparing fish, remove the gills, intestines, and other internal organs, wash it thoroughly under running tap water, cook it before eating, and thoroughly disinfect knives and cutting boards.

· If you have a cut on your hand, do not handle meat or seafood.

2. Winter food poisoning prevention guidelines

In winter, food poisoning is mainly caused by a virus called norovirus. As temperatures drop, personal hygiene management tends to become lax, and because people mostly stay indoors, the risk of secondary infection from the vomit or feces of a person infected with norovirus increases. It can also occur when ingredients processed with contaminated groundwater are eaten raw.

· People who prepare food should thoroughly practice personal hygiene, including handwashing.

· Food must be cooked thoroughly before eating.

· When handling vomit from a food poisoning patient, 반드시 wear disposable gloves, and place the waste in a plastic bag and seal it for disposal.

· Surfaces contaminated with vomit should be disinfected quickly with a chlorine-based disinfectant (bleach) to prevent the spread of norovirus infection.

· Blankets or clothing contaminated with norovirus should be washed with soap and hot water.

· Food handlers infected with norovirus should not engage in cooking work for about 3 days after full recovery.

So far, I have explained the symptoms and treatment of food poisoning.

Source: Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Health Information Portal