Food poisoning

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Food poisoning

Food poisoning

Treatment:

You will usually recover from the most common types of food poisoning within a couple of days. The goal is to make you feel better and avoid dehydration. Drink any fluid (except milk or caffeinated beverages) to replace fluids lost by diarrhea and vomiting. Children should be given an electrolyte sold in drugstores. Don't eat solid foods until the diarrhea has passed, and avoid dairy, which can worsen diarrhea.

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If you have diarrhea and are unable to drink fluids (for example, due to nausea or vomiting), you may need medical attention and intravenous fluids. This is especially true for young children. If you take diuretics, you need to manage diarrhea carefully. Talk to your doctor -- you may need to stop taking the diuretic while you have the diarrhea. Medications should NEVER be stopped or changed without discussing with your doctor and getting specific instructions.

For the most common causes of food poisoning, your doctor would NOT prescribe antibiotics. Antibiotics can actually prolong diarrhea and keep the organism in your body longer.

If you have eaten toxins from mushrooms or shellfish, you will need to be seen right away. The emergency room doctor will take steps to empty out your stomach and remove the toxin.

Expectations (prognosis):

Full recovery from the most common types of food poisoning usually occurs within 12 and 48 hours. Serious complications can arise, however, from certain types of food poisoning.

Complications:

Dehydration is the most common complication. This can occur from any of the causes of food poisoning.

Less common but much more serious complications include:

Respiratory distress, including the need for support on a breathing machine (botulism)
Kidney problems (Shigella, E. coli)
Bleeding disorders (E. coli and others)
Arthritis (Yersinia and Salmonella)
Nervous system disorders (Botulism, Campylobacter)
Pericarditis (Salmonella)
Death -- 50% of people with mushroom or certain fish poisonings (like puffer fish) die and 10% with botulism

Calling your health care provider:

Call your doctor if:

You have diarrhea and are unable to drink fluids due to nausea or vomiting.
You are on diuretics and have diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting.
Diarrhea lasts for more than 2 to 3 days.
There is blood in your stools.
You have a fever over 101F.

Call 911 if:

You have signs of dehydration (thirsty, dizzy, lightheaded, faint).
Bleeding is excessive or your stools are maroon or black.
You are short of breath or having trouble breathing.
Your heart is racing, pounding, or skipping.
You may have poisoning from mushrooms, fish, or botulism.
You have any nervous system symptoms like weakness, double vision, difficulty speaking, or paralysis.
You have trouble swallowing.

References:

Diagnosis and management of foodborne illnesses: a primer for physicians. Atlanta, Ga. American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Food Safety and Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture; 2001. MMWR Recomm Rep; 50(RR-2): 1-69.

Tam CC. Campylobacter coli - an important foodborne pathogen. J Infect. 2003; 47(1): 28-32.