Is It Really Food Poisoning?
Is It Really Food Poisoning?
You enjoyed every bite of the pasta alfredo, flame-grilled burger, or creme brulee but hours later you're sprinting, nonstop, to the bathroom.
After vomiting or having diarrhea, you may not be thinking kindly of the restaurant or your BBQ host, figuring you have food poisoning.
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But is it really? Your upset stomach could be caused by a food intolerance or irritation -- your GI tract and creme brulee simply don't get along.
In the U.S., about 76 million people get sick each year from food-borne illnesses, and more than 300,000 are hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although food-related illness is often short and mild, it can sometimes be life-threatening. About 5,000 people in the U.S. die each year from food-borne illnesses.
Figuring out if food-related problems are indeed food poisoning isn't always easy, not even for doctors. Here’s how to tell, and how to determine if you need medical help.
''Food poisoning is a non-medical term," says Jay Solnick, MD, professor of medicine and an infectious disease specialist at the University of California Davis School of Medicine. But it typically means bacteria in the food made you sick.
A range of organisms and toxins that can cause food poisoning, including Campylobacter, Salmonella,Shigella, E. coli 0157: H7, Listeria, and botulism.
Certain foods are considered "high risk" for food poisoning, says David Burkhart, MD, staff physician at the Indiana University Health Center in Bloomington, who has published a scientific article on the topic.
High-risk foods include: dairy products, raw seafood, raw eggs, lunch meat, undercooked meat, and poultry. "Those are some of the major foods that oftentimes will be contaminated," Burkhart says.
Symptoms of food poisoning vary, but typically include vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Fever can occur, too. The severity of symptoms, as well as the symptoms themselves, varies.
Some people have fever, others don't, Solnick says. Abdominal pain can be mild or severe.
After vomiting or having diarrhea, you may not be thinking kindly of the restaurant or your BBQ host, figuring you have food poisoning.
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What Emergency Supplies Should I Keep in My Car?
In every issue of WebMD the Magazine, we ask our experts to answer readers' questions about a wide range of topics. In our July/August 2012 issue, we asked WebMD's child health expert, Hansa Bhargava, MD, how parents should put together an emergency kit for their cars. Q: I worry that my car will break down somewhere when I'm alone or with my kids. What emergency supplies should I keep in my vehicle? A: Whether it's a blown tire, a broken-down engine, or a case of being just plain lost,...
Read the What Emergency Supplies Should I Keep in My Car? article > >
But is it really? Your upset stomach could be caused by a food intolerance or irritation -- your GI tract and creme brulee simply don't get along.
In the U.S., about 76 million people get sick each year from food-borne illnesses, and more than 300,000 are hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although food-related illness is often short and mild, it can sometimes be life-threatening. About 5,000 people in the U.S. die each year from food-borne illnesses.
Figuring out if food-related problems are indeed food poisoning isn't always easy, not even for doctors. Here’s how to tell, and how to determine if you need medical help.
What Is Food Poisoning?
''Food poisoning is a non-medical term," says Jay Solnick, MD, professor of medicine and an infectious disease specialist at the University of California Davis School of Medicine. But it typically means bacteria in the food made you sick.
A range of organisms and toxins that can cause food poisoning, including Campylobacter, Salmonella,Shigella, E. coli 0157: H7, Listeria, and botulism.
Certain foods are considered "high risk" for food poisoning, says David Burkhart, MD, staff physician at the Indiana University Health Center in Bloomington, who has published a scientific article on the topic.
High-risk foods include: dairy products, raw seafood, raw eggs, lunch meat, undercooked meat, and poultry. "Those are some of the major foods that oftentimes will be contaminated," Burkhart says.
Symptoms of food poisoning vary, but typically include vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Fever can occur, too. The severity of symptoms, as well as the symptoms themselves, varies.
Some people have fever, others don't, Solnick says. Abdominal pain can be mild or severe.
