Personal Injury Law

Food Poisoning: Generally what is food poisoning?

By Megan Roth

I, myself, have never experienced it (knock on wood), but the stories I've heard are downright discomforting. It occurs in various forms and can be caused by any number of sources. It's food poisoning (du-du-duhhhh) - the ultimate discomfort.

Food poisoning generally only lasts a few days, but it strikes quickly and generally claims its victims within 36-48 hours after consuming the poisoned substance. Many organizations classify it as a mild illness; however, those who have been taken victim beg to differ.

It's estimated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that, in the U.S. alone, food poisoning claims 76 million such victims each year, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and approximately 5,000 deaths. And that's in the U.S. alone!

Worldwide, those statistics escalate to touch a whole 'nother level. In fact, on a global scale, diarrheal illnesses are among the leading cause of death. It's common, yes - but that doesn't make it any less alarming or stressful for either patients or healthcare professionals.

Patients claim it's worse than the flu or any normal illness they've encountered; they complain of non-stop abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and incessant vomiting -vomiting that continues even when the they haven't eaten, thus resulting in the retching commonly known as dry heaves.

Granted, some cases are more severe than others; but regardless of the cause, food poisoning is a scary illness and should be treated as such.

Food poisoning is generally marked by the aforementioned symptoms, (including diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting), which are also symptoms common to the flu. The similarities between the symptoms can sometimes make it difficult to distinguish between the two illnesses; however, there are a couple of factors which can hint one way or the other in terms of diagnosis.

The telltale sign of food poisoning is the quick onset of the symptoms, which generally occur shortly after exposure (as mentioned earlier, within 36-48 hours). In some cases, the symptoms strike earlier, in others, they may not occur for several days. This is because bacteria need time to multiply in the intestines; how much time (the incubation period) is dependent on the type and number of the bacteria consumed.

There are a number of preventative methods one can take in an attempt to safeguard against food poisoning (which I'll discuss in detail later this week), but it's important to remember that everyone is susceptible to it. There is no sure way to guarantee you'll never contract the disease; thus, it's important to know what to look for and how to determine whether one has contracted food poisoning or is just having the annual run-in with the flu...

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on November 03, 2008 (boomark / email).