How to Diagnose Food Poisoning

There are several types of food-borne illnesses that cause food poisoning, with varying degrees of severity. Bacterial contamination of food products is usually the result of lax handling, preparation and/or storage practices.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Emergency medical attention

Identify Food Poisoning

1. Know the classic symptoms. Though they may vary in severity depending on the exact strain of bacteria causing the food borne illness, symptoms generally include severe abdominal cramps, weakness, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.
2. Get to a doctor. Some types of food poisoning, notably E. Coli and botulism, are potentially life threatening, and medical intervention will be necessary to stop any long-term health threats.
3. Make a list of everything you've eaten in the past several days. In trying to diagnose the cause of your symptoms, your doctor will ask you what foods you have consumed. It is also very helpful if you know of any other people who ate the same foods, and whether or not they are also showing symptoms of food poisoning.
4. Provide your doctor with a stool sample. This will be used by a laboratory to diagnose whether or not you have food poisoning, and what type of bacteria is causing your symptoms. Generally, you will remain hospitalized while the test results are being prepared as a precautionary measure.
5. Understand that a blood sample may also be needed to correctly diagnose your case of food poisoning. Blood work becomes necessary if stool samples cannot be provided, or if tests on them prove inconclusive in the hospital lab.
6. Remember that the contaminated food, if it is available, may also need to be tested. Have a friend, family member or loved one collect the food suspected to have caused the illness and bring it to the hospital. It will then be taken into the laboratory to determine whether or not food borne illness-causing bacteria are present. This step is generally taken only if both blood and stool samples proved inconclusive.
7. Treat your case of food poisoning according to doctor's orders. In some cases, medical staff will induce vomiting, administer laxatives or wash out the stomach to rid the body of as much of the harmful bacteria as possible. Botulism must be promptly treated with aggressive antitoxins. Dehydration remains a danger, and you'll have to be conscientious about replacing both the water and electrolytes (essential salts) your body has lost.

Tips & Warnings

• Food poisoning is not always a matter of overcoming a short period of acute flu-like symptoms. Especially in children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems, food poisoning can cause permanent disability or even death. Prompt medical attention is necessary in suspected cases of food poisoning.