Food Poisoning Symptoms

Food poisoning is a matter of great concern, especially for people who occasionally consume foods of restaurants. In the United States alone, about five thousand people die every year from food poisoning and about seventy six million people get various illnesses caused due to food. Food poisoning is linked to unhygienic habits, dirty kitchen, unsafe foods and dirty kitchen appliances.

Food poisoning is a severe condition. It is primarily caused due to Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli or Clostridium perfringens bacteria in the infected food. Toxoplasmosis or shigellosis can also caused food poisoning. If you eat unwashed salads, old dairy products, vegetables or salads that were cut many hours back, and undercooked meats, you may suffer from food poisoning.

Toxic agents that may cause food poisoning include pesticides on vegetables and fruits, poisonous mushrooms or inappropriately cooked exotic foods. We know that all foods contain bacteria in small amounts.

When foods are improperly handled or stored or cooked, bacteria can thrive well and cause food poisoning. Generally, foods are poorly stored and handled in hotels, large parties, canteens or picnics; thus consumption of foods at such places often result in food poisoning. Some important food poisoning symptoms are given below.

The signs and symptoms of food poisoning may differ from person to person. It depends upon the type of bacteria that has contaminated the foods and the severity of contamination. The symptoms of food poisoning are normally seen after a few days of eating the contaminated foods. But, in some people the symptoms can be seen within few hours of consumption.

The early signs and symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, upset stomach, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, dehydration, fatigue, loss of appetite and fever. Later on some severe symptoms of food poisoning can be experienced by the patient. These symptoms include bloody diarrhea, which may last for 3 days, blood or pus in the bowel movements, and nonstop vomiting, which can last for more than 2 days.

The patient may get fever without shivers or chills and may also feel very weak. He may feel too exhausted and faint, or get numbness or tingling sensations in the arms or legs. Rapid heart beat; cold and pale skin, low blood pressure, and dizziness are some other symptoms of food poisoning.

You must see your doctor, if you experience any of the severe symptoms mentioned above.