Food poisoning, a type of foodborne illness, is a sickness people get from something they ate or drank. The causes are germs or other harmful things in the food or beverage.
Symptoms of food poisoning often include upset stomach, diarrhea and vomiting. Symptoms usually start within hours or several days of eating the food. Most people have mild illness and get better without treatment.
Sometimes food poisoning causes severe illness or complications.
Symptoms
Symptoms vary depending on what is causing the illness. They may begin within a few hours or a few weeks depending on the cause.
Common symptoms are:
Upset stomach.
Vomiting.
Diarrhea.
Diarrhea with bloody stools.
Stomach pain and cramps.
Fever.
Headache.
Less often food poisoning affects the nervous system and can cause severe disease. Symptoms may include:
Blurred or double vision.
Headache.
Loss of movement in limbs.
Problems with swallowing.
Tingling or numbness of skin.
Weakness.
Changes in sound of the voice.
Treatment
Treatment for food poisoning depends on how severe your symptoms are and what caused the illness. In most cases, drug treatment isn't necessary.
Treatment may include the following:
Fluid replacement. Fluids and electrolytes, maintain the balance of fluids in your body. Electrolytes include minerals such as sodium, potassium and calcium. After vomiting or diarrhea, it's important to replace fluids to prevent dehydration. Severe dehydration may require going to the hospital. You may need fluids and electrolytes delivered directly into the bloodstream.
Antibiotics. If the illness is caused by bacteria, you may be prescribed an antibiotic. Antibiotics are generally for people with severe disease or with a higher risk of complications.
Antiparasitics. Drugs that target parasites, called antiparasitics, are usually prescribed for parasitic infections.
Probiotics. Your care provider may recommend probiotics. These are treatments that replace healthy bacteria in the digestive system.
Diagnosis
A diagnosis is based on a physical exam and a review of things that may be causing vomiting, diarrhea or other symptoms. Questions from your health care provider will cover:
Your symptoms.
Food or drinks you've had recently.
Symptoms in people who ate with you.
Recent changes in the drugs you take.
Recent travel.
Your health care provider will examine you to rule out other causes of illness and check for signs of dehydration.
Your provider may order tests including:
Stool sample tests to name the bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins.
Blood tests to name a cause of illness, rule out other conditions or identify complications.
When one person or a family gets food poisoning, it's hard to know what food was contaminated. The time from eating the contaminated food to the time of sickness can be hours or days. During that time, you may have had one or several more meals. This makes it difficult to say what food made you sick.
In a large outbreak, public health officials may be able to find the common food all of the people shared.
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