What is food poisoning?
The most common food-borne illness is gastroenteritis, also known as food poisoning. Food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, or toxins can cause food poisoning. Symptoms of food poisoning include abdominal cramps, nausea, bloating, dehydration caused by vomiting or diarrhea, and fever.
What are the symptoms of food poisoning?
Symptoms of food poisoning that may appear within hours of eating contaminated food include:
- Abdominal cramps
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Dry mouth and throat (indicative of dehydration)
- Headache
- Reduced Urination (indicative of dehydration)
- Loss of appetite
- Mild fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Weakness/dizziness/blurry vision (indicative of dehydration)
Symptoms of acute food poisoning:
- Bloody diarrhea
- Fever higher than 102° F
- Incessant vomiting
How long does food poisoning last?
Symptoms of food poisoning are treated based on their severity. It usually takes a few days for most people to get cured without any treatment, while others have a harder time. Food poisoning can usually be resolved naturally by the body's flushing mechanism. It can take at least one week up to as long as eight weeks to diagnose and treat acute cases, either at home or in a hospital.
What are the main causes of food poisoning?
Contaminated food is the primary cause of food poisoning.
The major contaminants in food are:
- Bacteria
- Parasites
- Pathogens
- Viruses
Food contamination can occur during the production process (growing and harvesting), processing, storing, shipping, or cooking. However, the main reasons for contamination of food may be:
- Undercooked or improperly cooked food causes E. coli (symptoms include nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, or sometimes bloody diarrhea). Undercooked meat, unpasteurised milk, apple cider, alfalfa sprouts, and contaminated water commonly spread it.
- Consuming or handling raw food can cause food poisoning. Handling or eating raw poultry can cause a campylobacter infection. A person can also contract it from foods like seafood or meat, animal contact, and drinking untreated water. Symptoms include high fever, arthritis, and Guillain Barre syndrome, which causes severe, progressive muscle weakness.) Listeria infections are caused by consuming raw milk or cheese, ice cream, and raw meat or seafood. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and vomiting.
- Unhygienic production processes can cause Shigella, which is transmitted through the unhygienic production of vegetables. Symptoms include abdominal cramping and bloody stools.
- High temperatures spoil and contaminate food, which can cause food poisoning if consumed.
- Incorrect storage of raw meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, unpasteurised milk, ready-to-eat foods, soft cheese, or pre-packed sandwiches may lead to infection with a stomach bug known as salmonella, with over 2,000 variations. Salmonellosis may cause gastroenteritis or diarrhea that can be mild or severe. It may take 48 to 72 hours for the symptoms to appear.
- Food not reheated/improperly reheated, exposure to food from a person carrying an infectious disease or consuming expired food can also cause food poisoning.
Who is at risk for food poisoning?
Although food poisoning can affect anyone, certain groups of people are more susceptible or at risk of contracting it. The ability to fight infections may be impaired in these groups. Therefore, people who experience food poisoning regularly could fall under the following categories:
- Immunocompromised people who have weakened immune systems because of chronic health conditions or medications, such as diabetes, liver ailments, AIDS, or those undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy
- Older adults and senior citizens aged 65 and older who have poor immunity
- Infants and young children having an underdeveloped immunity
- Pregnant women who experience circulation and metabolism changes
- People with weak immune systems and complications that cause dehydration
What is the cost of getting tests done for food poisoning?
To determine the cause of the food poisoning and dehydration in your body, your doctor may conduct specific diagnostic tests, such as a blood test, stool culture, and urine test.
A trusted pathology lab with NABL and CAP accreditation can do these tests for you.
The price of the food poisoning test may be anywhere between INR 900 and INR 1500, depending on which tests your doctor prescribes and where the sample is collected.
Agilus Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Fortis Healthcare Limited
