While food poisoning has been frequently on the agenda in recent days when the air temperatures have been high, experts have reiterated their warnings. Experts who say that food that is kept hot or cooked in improper ways in crowded areas, sales points or various areas can cause poisoning, emphasized that the storage and consumption conditions of food are of great importance. Chief Physician Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Fatih Mehmet Velibeyoğlu also made important warnings to citizens against food poisoning. Velibeyoğlu stated that there has been an increase in applications due to food poisoning and provided important information on what to do.
“A PROCESS THAT CAN LEAD TO CONSCIOUSNESS AND COMA”
Providing information about food poisoning, Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Fatih Mehmet Velibeyoğlu said, “With food poisoning, we describe a condition that progresses with severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after consuming foods with a broken cold chain, which can then lead to weakness and even confusion. In these cases, the amount of fluid lost is very important, and the patient’s clinical, consciousness and blood pressure status must be checked. If there is a sudden deterioration, it is useful to go to the emergency room as soon as possible. The condition can deteriorate more quickly in these risk groups; pregnant women, the elderly and young children.”
A SHOCKER TABLE
Specialist Dr. Fatih Mehmet Velibeyoğlu said, “It can also lead to shock or a picture that can go as far as shock. We need to act faster and be more sensitive about these. Since we are in the summer season and the cold chain is broken, especially foods that spoil quickly, such as those containing eggs, mayonnaise, cream, and again chicken; chicken meat can spoil more quickly, we need to be careful. We should not eat food from places whose source we do not know. In some clinical pictures we encounter; such pictures can occur when chicken meat, rice, cream cakes that have been kept at home are consumed and then kept outside.
If a large amount of food-related toxin has been ingested, patients present with more serious conditions. If the toxin level is lower, we may present with short-term diarrhea, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. We need to be much more careful when there is increasing, unstoppable diarrhea, it is useful to go to the emergency room as soon as possible, because the condition can worsen and lead to clinical deterioration. Consciousness may be blurred, a process leading to coma, cardiac arrhythmias, and acute complications that will trigger many conditions may be seen. First of all, fluid intake must be ensured completely, resting in a cool environment is necessary. Consumption of foods, including fatty foods, whose origin and compliance with the cold chain are unknown, should not be done during this period. These patients recover clinically quickly by removing the toxin with fluid therapy,” he said.
“WE OBSERVE A 20-30 PERCENT INCREASE”
Speaking about the situation regarding applications regarding food poisoning, Specialist Dr. Velibeyoğlu said, “Recently, we have observed that there has been a 20-30 percent increase in applications due to the increase in air temperatures and lack of attention to food hygiene or consumption of food that has been waiting outside compared to normal times. There are much more emergency visits among children and the elderly. They mostly apply with complaints such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, loss of strength, and inactivity. After performing the necessary blood tests, people recover quickly with fluid therapy.”
IT COMES MOST OUT OF CHICKEN
The expert said, “Consumption of chicken, foods containing rice meat and cream cakes are at the forefront. Such things are usually encountered in the stories of patients. This is also observed in all members of a family. Sometimes we even receive news of such mass poisonings in the mevlid-style meals given or from hotels, and we receive applications in this way. It is necessary to pay attention to the consumption of all foods, while shopping in markets, it is necessary to check both the expiration dates and whether the refrigerator really cools, if it is a frozen product, whether it really complies with the storage conditions, whether there is any deformation or hole in the packaging. Since this situation causes sudden deterioration, it can seriously affect the daily lives of people. Flora changes can also lead to diarrhea, which we call tourist diarrhea, there are many factors in this regard. We can perform treatments to remove toxins. We plan fluid treatment for the patient, in some cases it may be necessary to give antibiotics. Patients recover quickly with fluid and supportive treatment and treatments that reduce nausea and vomiting.” (İHA)