What to do in case of food poisoning. Signs of shawarma poisoning

Oriental fast food has long become popular, and shawarma poisoning seems to be a common thing for many. You cannot ignore the discomfort after eating your favorite dish. Abdominal pain and nausea can signal a serious intoxication of the body, which can lead to sad consequences.

What is the dish made of

Shawarma points can be found in almost every city. This dish is quite inexpensive, and at the same time includes a large number of hearty ingredients. The composition includes:

  • minced meat;
  • thin pita bread;
  • vegetables;
  • sauce.

The basis of the dish (sometimes it is also called "shawarma") is meat. It is fried on a special vertical grill. Large pieces rotate around an axis near the heating elements. When the cook thinks that the outermost layer is already baked, the meat is cut off.

Most often, the meat component is represented by chicken, less often - beef, pork, lamb and turkey. A standard set of vegetables includes fresh onions, cabbage, cucumbers and tomatoes. For a change, french fries, Korean carrots or mushrooms are added, and you can put the filling not only in pita bread - pita is also used.

To say whether shawarma is harmful is quite difficult. If fresh and high-quality products are used, and the chef adheres to all hygiene standards and rules, the main danger is the calorie content of sauces.

Possible causes of intoxication

If a person is poisoned with shawarma, it can be very difficult to identify the exact cause. The danger is posed by both all the components of the dish and the conditions in which it was cooked. The body can provoke a reaction:

  • unsanitary conditions;
  • insufficient roasting of meat;
  • using rotten ingredients;
  • a cook with infectious diseases;
  • low-quality vegetables;
  • missing sauces.

Shawarma, like other street fast food, is often sold in small pavilions with no sewer and sink. The cook may not wash his hands all day, and the tables on which the food is located are wiped with the same cloth for a long time. The presence of disposable gloves can save the situation a little, but small outlets often save on them.

For the sake of economy, illegal immigrants who do not have a health book are also hired for work. Some diseases caused by bacteria and viruses are successfully transmitted from person to person through food. It is enough for a cook to sneeze on food to make it potentially dangerous for the consumer.

Another explanation of why shawarma is dangerous is low-quality vegetables. In the cold season, products may be purchased that have been treated with chemicals to accelerate growth and maturation. Chemistry accumulates on the skins of tomatoes and cucumbers. If they are not washed before cutting into a dish, the likelihood of poisoning increases.

Shawarma sauces often contain mayonnaise, which has a limited shelf life in a warm room. Not all sellers comply with these conditions. And if the tray with the ready-made filler is open, dust and microbes from the surrounding surfaces get there.

Shawarma poisoning symptoms

The most obvious sign of poisoning is a stomach ache after shawarma. The symptom appears within 1-2 hours after eating a dangerous food. The severity depends on the amount eaten and the exact cause of the poisoning. Soreness of the stomach is accompanied by:

  • persistent nausea;
  • vomiting with the remains of undigested food;
  • temperature increase;
  • increased sweating;
  • diarrhea;
  • weakness.

If first aid is not provided in time, the symptoms gradually increase. A long-term and strong toxic effect on the body leads to confusion and loss of orientation in space, even fainting is possible. Not only the stomach suffers, but also the central nervous system. Poisoning is especially dangerous for children - their unformed body reacts to stimuli more strongly.

First aid for poisoning

The alarm should be sounded immediately after signs of shawarma poisoning appear. A toxic effect can have a serious effect on the entire body. To reduce the likelihood of complications, it is advisable to seek professional help as soon as possible and call an ambulance.

To alleviate the condition of the victim before the arrival of doctors will help:

  • cleansing the body;
  • neutralization of the toxin;
  • antipyretic;
  • bed rest.

The longer dangerous food is digested, the more toxins enter the bloodstream. To stop their spread, it is necessary. This requires warm boiled water in large quantities. To enhance the effectiveness of the liquid, a solution of soda or a pinch of manganese is prepared.

Drinking water or solution should provoke vomiting. If this does not happen, you will have to press on the root of the victim's tongue. The procedure is repeated several times in order to completely remove from the stomach not completely digested food debris.

Important: If vomiting opens on its own and cannot be stopped, it can lead to dehydration. In this case, medicines like Rehydron are needed - they restore the water-salt balance.

After removing dangerous food from the stomach, it is necessary to deal with the neutralization of toxins that have already entered the bloodstream and poison the body. Sorbents like activated or white carbon, Smekty are used for this. The dosage is selected individually, taking into account the age and body weight of the victim. All instructions are in the instructions for use.


If the poisoned person has a fever, it is necessary to bring it down. For this, antipyretic drugs are used. It is better to choose a tablet form. Liquid medicines can irritate the stomach lining, which is already inflamed due to the effects of low-quality shawarma.

It is advisable for the patient to provide bed rest in a fresh ventilated room. You can lie down only if the vomiting has already ended. Even if after all the manipulations the condition improves significantly, you still have to consult a doctor.

Shawarma poisoning treatment

Complex poisoning requires further medical care in a hospital setting. Depending on the severity of the condition, you may need to:

  • additional gastric lavage;
  • cleansing from toxins;
  • antibacterial drugs.

To restore the normal functioning of the digestive system and the gastrointestinal tract, probiotics and vitamin complexes are prescribed.

It is recommended to follow a special diet for several days. The approved foods do not overload the digestive system, but give the body the strength to recover. The focus is on lean broths, cereals, mashed potatoes, sour milk and rusks, sweet or unleavened.

Special attention is paid to the drinking regime. The patient needs a large amount of fluid - at least two liters per day. Fruit drinks, rosehip decoction, weak teas and compotes will help to quickly remove harmful substances from the body.

Possible consequences

In the absence of timely treatment, shawarma poisoning can cause serious damage to the body. Prolonged diarrhea and vomiting lead to dehydration, which greatly increases the burden on the kidneys. If the victim has chronic diseases of the stomach or intestines, poisoning provokes their exacerbation.

Under unfavorable conditions, the following are possible:

  • gastritis;
  • damage to the nervous system;
  • jaundice;
  • stomach ulcer;
  • problems with the organs of vision;
  • development of persistent allergies.

To avoid this, it is advisable to buy shawarma in trusted places. If possible, you should study the conditions under which it is prepared, at least visually assess the type of meat and vegetables. If the dish smells unpleasant, it is better to refuse it. Before lunch, be sure to wash your hands, and at the first sign of discomfort, consult a doctor.

Most people love fast food. Even among lovers of healthy food, there are those who sometimes break loose and pamper themselves with quick and hearty food in the form of a purchased shawarma or burger. Unscrupulous producers of shawarma, in pursuit of profit, often cook from stale products or neglect sanitary standards, so shawarma poisoning, unfortunately, is not uncommon.

According to the International Classification of Diseases, poisoning with shawarma (or, as the people of St. Petersburg call it, shawarma), like most other cases of food poisoning, are classified as A05 "Other bacterial food poisoning, not elsewhere classified."

Causes of shawarma poisoning

To prepare shawarma, meat is cooked on a vertical grill, as soon as it is ready, cut the edges into a pan and grind them. Then they are placed in pita bread along with chopped vegetables, pouring this whole mixture with a hearty sauce.

The reasons for poisoning with such a simple dish as shawarma may be as follows:

  • low-quality products (spoiled or poorly fried meat with pathogenic microbes, rotten vegetables or with a high content and, sauces with an expired shelf life and harmful fats);
  • non-observance of the rules for storing food, preparing shawarma, unsanitary conditions (you can easily get poisoned by infectious microbes from dirty equipment, dishes, cooking places);
  • the seller or the direct manufacturer of shawarma is the carrier of the infection (the absence of a sanitary book and proper medical examinations can also cause poisoning);
  • purchase outside of reliable, official, well-proven places of sale of shawarma, street stalls.

Symptoms

Shawarma poisoning symptoms:

  • nausea, vomiting;
  • diarrhea;
  • severe malaise, weakness, headache and abdominal pain;
  • increased body temperature;
  • excessive salivation and sweating;
  • intestinal upset, rumbling in the abdomen with poisoning;
  • foul-smelling bowel movements;
  • with severe intoxication, it is also possible to affect the central nervous system with signs of poisoning such as impaired consciousness, fainting.

First aid

When the first signs of poisoning appear, it is necessary to provide the victim with assistance, the measures of which will help stop the absorption of toxic substances and accelerate the body's return to normal.

Here's the first thing to do in case of poisoning:

  • the victim drink as much water as possible, etc. Carry out gastric lavage until clear water comes out. Such gastric cleansing is contraindicated for a small child or unconscious person. The effectiveness of cleaning the stomach will increase if you add a little soda, salt or potassium permanganate to the water. You need to be extremely careful with manganese, the solution should be pale pink, while you must make sure that whole crystals of potassium permanganate do not get into the esophagus, as a burn of the mucous membrane of the stomach, esophagus or intestines may occur;
  • you can not take drugs that stop vomiting;
  • after the cessation of vomiting, the intake of sorbents is shown (activated carbon, Sorbex, Karbolong, Enterosgel), which neutralize and remove toxins;
  • if the temperature has risen to critical values, bring it down with paracetamol, ibuprofen;
  • provide the patient with warmth and peace, while laying him on his side to prevent choking with vomit;
  • in case of very severe poisoning (if vomiting and diarrhea do not stop on the second day) or childhood, be sure to consult a doctor.

Treatment

What to do in case of shawarma poisoning and what is the treatment? The essence of the treatment is to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract and restore water balance in the body.

After first aid measures, diet is important in the treatment of poisoning. The first day you will not be able to eat anything, it is better to limit yourself to drinking pure water (no gas), herbal teas. Profuse vomiting and diarrhea lead to dehydration. You need to drink all the time as much as possible in order to save the body from dehydration and quickly flush out harmful microorganisms with their waste products. On the second day, you can try to carefully introduce light soups, porridge on the water, crackers, baked apples, bananas, dairy products, boiled meat, eggs, potatoes. It is better to save milk, spicy, fried, conservation until the onset of complete recovery.

Do you need antibiotics for shawarma poisoning? In case of especially severe poisoning, indeed, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic. But this is done only after a laboratory examination by a medical worker of the victim's biomaterial in order to identify the causative agent of the disease and select the appropriate antibiotic.

With severe fever, antipyretic tablets will be required.

Enterosorbents help to cope with intoxication faster and restore the body, here are some more useful recipes for cleansing the body of toxins:

  • anise broth - 5 seeds per glass of water - bring to a boil, insist and drink, then induce vomiting. Repeat the cleaning procedure again;
  • decoction based on 1 cl. l. oak bark, 2 tbsp. clover and horsetail - pour the mixture with a liter of water, bring to a boil, insist and drink several times a day;
  • dry seaweed - several times a day, take half a teaspoon of kelp with water;
  • olive oil with honey (1: 2);
  • cleansing enemas from boiled water and castor oil;
  • marshmallow herbal tea - 1 tablespoon plants on a glass of boiling water. 5 hours insist and drink half a glass several times a day.

At the final stage of treatment, to restore the intestinal microflora, the intake of probiotics - bifidobacteria and lactobacilli is shown, and you can also add a vitamin-mineral complex.

Complications and consequences

With effective and timely assistance provided after poisoning with shawarma, there should be no health consequences, but very rarely, in the case of advanced botulism or salmonellosis, the following consequences are possible:

  • disorders of the central nervous system;
  • the development of allergies;
  • chronic jaundice;
  • gastritis, ulcer;
  • disruption of the heart, kidneys, liver;
  • dehydration.

Prevention

Prevention of shawarma poisoning comes down to buying this oriental dish only at official fast food points of sale, which have a good reputation and have all the documentation required to carry out activities. You also need to pay attention to the conditions for preparing shawarma and the seller himself. The safest solution would be to learn how to cook this dish yourself at home.

Most people love fast food. Even among lovers of healthy food, there are those who sometimes break loose and pamper themselves with quick and hearty food in the form of a purchased shawarma or burger. Unscrupulous producers of shawarma, in pursuit of profit, often cook from stale products or neglect sanitary standards, so shawarma poisoning, unfortunately, is not uncommon.

According to the International Classification of Diseases, poisoning with shawarma (or, as the people of St. Petersburg call it, shawarma), like most other cases of food poisoning, are classified as A05 "Other bacterial food poisoning, not elsewhere classified."

Causes of shawarma poisoning

To prepare shawarma, meat is cooked on a vertical grill, as soon as it is ready, cut the edges into a pan and grind them. Then they are placed in pita bread along with chopped vegetables, pouring this whole mixture with a hearty sauce.

The reasons for poisoning with such a simple dish as shawarma may be as follows:

  • low-quality products (spoiled or poorly fried meat with pathogenic microbes, rotten vegetables or with a high content of pesticides and nitrates, sauces with an expired shelf life and unhealthy fats),
  • non-observance of the rules for storing food, preparing shawarma, unsanitary conditions (you can easily get poisoned by infectious microbes from dirty equipment, dishes, cooking places),
  • the seller or the direct manufacturer of shawarma - the carrier of the infection (the lack of a health book and proper medical examinations can also cause poisoning),
  • purchase outside of reliable, official, well-proven places of sale of shawarma, street stalls.

Symptoms

Shawarma poisoning symptoms:

  • nausea, vomiting,
  • diarrhea,
  • severe malaise, weakness, headaches and abdominal pains,
  • increase in body temperature,
  • excessive salivation and sweating,
  • upset bowel movements, rumbling in the stomach with poisoning,
  • fetid feces
  • with severe intoxication, it is also possible to affect the central nervous system with signs of poisoning such as impaired consciousness, fainting.

First aid

When the first signs of poisoning appear, it is necessary to provide the victim with assistance, the measures of which will help stop the absorption of toxic substances and accelerate the body's return to normal.

Here's the first thing to do in case of poisoning:

  • drink as much water as possible and induce vomiting. Carry out gastric lavage until clear water comes out. Such gastric cleansing is contraindicated for a small child or unconscious person. The effectiveness of cleaning the stomach will increase if you add a little soda, salt or potassium permanganate to the water. You need to be extremely careful with manganese, the solution should be pale pink, while you must make sure that whole crystals of potassium permanganate do not get into the esophagus, as a burn of the mucous membrane of the stomach, esophagus or intestines may occur,
  • you can not take drugs that stop vomiting,
  • after the cessation of vomiting, the intake of sorbents (activated carbon, Sorbex, Karbolong, Enterosgel) is shown, which neutralize and remove toxins,
  • if the temperature has risen to critical values, bring it down with paracetamol, ibuprofen,
  • provide the patient with warmth and peace, while laying him on his side to prevent choking with vomit,
  • in case of very severe poisoning (if vomiting and diarrhea do not stop on the second day) or childhood, be sure to consult a doctor.

Protein poisoning

Treatment

What to do in case of poisoning with shawarma and what is the treatment? The essence of the treatment is to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract and restore water balance in the body.

After first aid measures, diet is important in the treatment of poisoning. The first day you will not be able to eat anything, it is better to limit yourself to drinking pure water (no gas), herbal teas. Profuse vomiting and diarrhea lead to dehydration. You need to drink all the time as much as possible in order to save the body from dehydration and quickly flush out harmful microorganisms with their waste products. On the second day, you can try to carefully introduce light soups, porridge on the water, crackers, baked apples, bananas, dairy products, boiled meat, eggs, potatoes. It is better to save milk, spicy, fried, conservation until the onset of complete recovery.

Do you need antibiotics for shawarma poisoning? In case of especially severe poisoning, indeed, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic. But this is done only after a laboratory examination by a medical worker of the victim's biomaterial in order to identify the causative agent of the disease and select the appropriate antibiotic.

With severe fever, antipyretic tablets will be required.

Enterosorbents help to cope with intoxication faster and restore the body, here are some more useful recipes for cleansing the body of toxins:

  • anise broth - 5 seeds per glass of water - bring to a boil, insist and drink, then induce vomiting. Repeat the cleaning procedure again,
  • decoction based on 1 cl. l. oak bark, 2 tbsp. clover and horsetail - pour the mixture with a liter of water, bring to a boil, insist and drink several times a day,
  • dry seaweed - several times a day, take half a teaspoon of kelp with water,
  • olive oil with honey (1: 2),
  • cleansing enemas of boiled water and castor oil,
  • marshmallow herbal tea - 1 tablespoon plants on a glass of boiling water. 5 hours insist and drink half a glass several times a day.

Sushi poisoning

At the final stage of treatment, to restore the intestinal microflora, the intake of probiotics - bifidobacteria and lactobacilli is shown, and you can also add a vitamin-mineral complex.

Complications and consequences

With effective and timely assistance provided after poisoning with shawarma, there should be no health consequences, but very rarely, in the case of advanced botulism or salmonellosis, the following consequences are possible:

  • disorders of the central nervous system,
  • development of allergies,
  • chronic jaundice
  • gastritis, ulcer,
  • disruption of the heart, kidneys, liver,
  • dehydration.

Prevention

Prevention of shawarma poisoning comes down to buying this oriental dish only at official fast food points of sale, which have a good reputation and have all the documentation required to carry out activities. You also need to pay attention to the conditions for preparing shawarma and the seller himself. The safest solution would be to learn how to cook this dish yourself at home.

If you have already poisoned and all the symptoms of intoxication are on your face, it is better to consult a doctor, since only a doctor will prescribe a comprehensive treatment and prevent possible complications.

Shawarma is a popular type of fast food. Spicy ingredients and freshly cooked meat make this product delicious. Unfortunately, such outlets do not adhere to the rules of storage and preparation of food products, which leads to intoxication. The symptoms of shawarma poisoning correspond to the manifestation of any food toxicoinfections and are characterized mainly by dyspeptic symptoms and dehydration. Treatment of shawarma poisoning is aimed at cleansing the gastrointestinal tract and restoring water balance.

Causes of shawarma poisoning

Shawarma is a meat product in pita bread with vegetables and spices. In order to attract the buyer, all the necessary ingredients are kept open on the table in front of the seller-chef. Such storage of food leads to an increased risk of various bacterial microorganisms entering them, which quickly begin to multiply and release toxins. The latter, when ingested, cause. Improper storage of meat is a risk factor for shawarma poisoning.

An important reason for shawarma poisoning is neglect of the hygiene of the buyer himself. Eating on the street with dirty hands, buying shawarma at "suspicious" points, eating not freshly prepared product - all this can lead to the development of poisoning.

Poisoning symptoms

Shawarma poisoning proceeds according to the type of classic food toxicoinfection. Within one or several hours after using the product, a person notes the appearance of nausea, pain in the upper abdomen (see). As a rule, repeated vomiting appears almost immediately, bringing relief. If the amount of toxins in the product was large and they got into the intestines, then the poisoned person develops rumbling, bloating and diarrhea soon begins - the stool is liquid, abundant, maybe streaked with mucus.

Most patients develop intoxication syndrome: headache, weakness, general malaise appears. Including similar symptoms are associated with dehydration, which develops against the background of profuse vomiting and diarrhea.

Important! As a rule, the symptoms go away on their own within one to two days after the elimination of toxins from the body. However, despite the ease of poisoning, it is always necessary to seek medical help due to the risk of dehydration and severe complications.

What to do if poisoned with shawarma? Providing assistance to the patient or self-help is based on the following actions:

  1. The person is given a large volume of warm, slightly salted water to drink. You can add a few drops of potassium permanganate solution. After that, pressing on the root of the tongue induces vomiting. The procedure is repeated until the washings from the stomach become clear. If a small child is poisoned or a person is unconscious, then gastric lavage is contraindicated.
  2. To bind toxins and bacteria in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract, enterosorbents are used - Activated carbon, Smecta, Lactulose,. These drugs do not have side effects, but they allow you to cope with toxins and prevent their effects on the intestines and on the body as a whole.
  3. With a significant rise in temperature or severe headache, pain relievers from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ketorol, Nimesulide, Ibuprofen) are used.
  4. The greatest threat to health from food poisoning is dehydration. To combat it, the patient is given clean plain water to drink or special medications are used (Rehydron).

A warning! Do not use antiemetic or antidiarrheal drugs, as this will lead to the accumulation of toxin in the body and aggravate the course of poisoning.

Poisoning diagnostics

It is not difficult to make a correct diagnosis. The person himself knows about the fact of using shawarma and immediately tells the doctor about it. It is important to remember that the development of food poisoning does not always mean that the patient has been poisoned by shawarma. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully question him about other products that he has consumed during the last 24 hours, as well as about the activities during this time.

During an external examination, the doctor notes the symptoms described above: bloating, an increase in body temperature to 38-38.5 o C. Vomit is recommended to be collected in a clean container and handed over to medical workers. In the laboratory, they are sown on special bacterial media, which makes it possible to identify the "culprit" of the poisoning.

Laboratory research methods show a picture of the inflammatory response in the body: in the clinical analysis of blood, an increase in the number of leukocytes (leukocytosis) and an acceleration of ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) are noted, and in the biochemical analysis of blood, the content of fibrinogen and C-reactive protein increases. Diagnosis of shawarma poisoning does not cause any difficulties, but you should always seek medical help if any symptoms develop.

Treatment for food poisoning with shawarma should be comprehensive and provided immediately after the onset of symptoms. It is always necessary to seek medical help, since, despite the ease of the course, the risk of dehydration and other complications is quite high.



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