Foodborne Illness

Foodborne Diseases are those that originate from the ingestion of food infected with contaminants in sufficient quantities to affect the health of the consumer. Whether natural solids, preparations, or simple beverages such as water, food can generate ailments in their consumer caused by pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites or chemical components, which are found inside.

The symptoms vary between the various factors that can affect, according to the type of contamination, as well as the amount of contaminated food consumed.

The most common signs are diarrhea and vomiting, but abdominal pains, headache, fever, neurological symptoms, double vision, swollen eyes, kidney difficulties, and others may also occur. In addition, certain foodborne illnesses can lead to long-term illness. For example, Escherichia Coli can cause kidney failure in children and infants, Salmonella can lead to arthritis and serious infections, and Listeria Monocytogenes can lead to meningitis, or an abortion in pregnant women.

Allergies vs Food Intolerances

Allergies and food intolerances can present with similar symptoms, but these are two conditions that differ considerably from each other. Food intolerances, such as lactose intolerance and celiac disease, can make a person feel unwell. But food allergies can not only make someone feel unwell, but they can cause fatal risk reactions.

Having a food intolerance involves:

• the person’s body cannot properly digest a certain food
• certain food irritates the person’s digestive system

Symptoms of food intolerance include: nausea, gas, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, irritability, nervousness, and/or headache.

A food allergy occurs when the body’s immune system, which normally fights infection, interprets a certain food as an invader. This causes a disproportionate response from the immune system: the allergic reaction, in which the body releases several chemicals, such as histamine. This reaction can cause symptoms such as: breathing problems, tight throat, cough, hoarseness, vomiting, stomach pain, hives, inflammation or decreased blood pressure.

Although the allergic reactions that a person has had on previous occasions have been mild, there is always the possibility that their next allergic reaction is life-threatening. Ingesting a microscopic amount of a certain food, or sometimes even touching or inhaling it, can trigger severe allergic reactions. For this reason, a person affected by a food allergy should completely avoid the problematic food and always carry an adrenaline (or epinephrine) injectable.

Conversely, many people who suffer from food intolerance can ingest reduced amounts of problematic foods without problems.

*Source RINCÓN DEL VAGO/ Kids Health