Adult Food Poisoning in a Tertiary University Hospital: Retrospective Evaluation of Emergency Department Visits and Outcomes

Year 2024, Volume: 5 Issue: 3, 100 - 104, 30.09.2024

Serhat Örün , Batuhan İlbey Başol , Dilek Doğan , Habibe Selmin Özensoy

https://doi.org/10.47482/acmr.1518098

Abstract

Aim
The clinical diagnosis, which occurs with various symptoms as a result of consumption of contaminated food, is defined as food poisoning (FP). A large number of people experience FP around the world each year. This report focuses on the clinical and descriptive characteristics of adult cases visiting the emergency department (ED) due to FP.
Material and Methods
This study was planned as a retrospective examination of adult FP cases who visited a tertiary ED in a 4-year period. Complaints, vital signs, physical examination and laboratory data at the time of the visit were recorded. The treatment given for ED and the ways to recover from ED were also evaluated.
Results
61 patients were included. 43 patients (70.5%) were male. Median age was 31 years (min: 18- max: 73). The most common symptom was nausea (n=27, 44.3%). No relationship was detected between length of hospital stay and descriptive data. Most of cases except two (96.7%), were discharged after the treatments administered in the ED.
Conclusion
FP cases are often young and male. They most often visit ED with complaints of nausea and are often discharged from ED after treatment. Descriptive data is not predictive of outcomes.

Keywords

Poisoning, Emergency Departments, Nausea;, Gastroenteritis, Abdominal Pain

References

• Aljamali NM, Najim M, Alabbasy A. Review on food poisoning (types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment). Global Acad J Pharm Drug Res. 2021;3(4):54-61.
• Arr W, Smith A. Acute diarrhea. Am Fam Physician. 2014;89(3):180-9.
• Lopman BA, Hall AJ, Curns AT, Parashar UD. Increasing rates of gastroenteritis hospital discharges in US adults and the contribution of norovirus, 1996-2007. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(4):466-74.
• World Health Organization. Food safety. Available at: https://www. who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/food-safety. Accessed April 17, 2024.
• Pardal MPS, Bhalwar R, Mehta VK, Rajiva. Epidemiological investigation of an outbreak of food poisoning in an officers’ mess. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2020;7(5):1912-5.
• Filipello V, Bonometti E, Campagnani M, Bertoletti I, Romano A, Zuccon F, et al. Investigation and follow-up of a staphylococcal food poisoning outbreak linked to the consumption of traditional handcrafted Alm cheese. Pathogens. 2020;9(12).
• Elkhal A, Attarassi B, Aujjar N, S J, Lahmam M. Epidemiological study of food poisoning during the period 2001-2018 in the province of Kenitra. E3S Web Conf. 2021;319:01055.
• Ameme DK, Alomatu H, Antobre-Boateng A, Zakaria A, Addai L, Fianko K, et al. Outbreak of foodborne gastroenteritis in a senior high school in South-eastern Ghana: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Public Health. 2016;16:564.
• Getie A, Belayneh YM. A retrospective study of acute poisoning cases and their management at the emergency department of Dessie Referral Hospital, Northeast Ethiopia. Drug Healthc Patient Saf. 2020;12:41-8.
• Bütün C, Beyaztaş FY, Engin A, Büyükkayhan D, Can M. Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Adli Tıp Anabilim Dalı’na başvuran besin zehirlenmesi olgularının değerlendirilmesi. Van Tıp Derg. 2009;16(1):19-23.
• Fleckenstein JM, Kuhlmann FM, Sheikh A. Acute bacterial gastroenteritis. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2021;50(2):283-304.
• Patel P, Komorowski AS, Mack DP. An allergist’s approach to food poisoning. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2023;130(4):444-51.