What Are The Signs-Symptoms And Treatment Of Botulism?

What is botulism?

Botulism is a rare disease that causes paralysis. The cause is a bacterium. The bacterium makes a very strong neurotoxin: botulinum toxin.
This bacteria can sit in the ground or water, and in these foods:

1. honey,
2. little air packaged fish or meat,
3. self canned foods (such as jam)
4. canned food.

This food so you can get botulism. Young children are more at risk for botulism because their immune system is not so good. Botulism in babies almost always comes from eating honey. You can make a child less than one year hence better not give honey.

After being infected with botulism you get 8 to 36 hours after the first symptoms. Eg nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dry mouth and constipation. Within 24 hours, there is paralysis. This starts with the eyes, and then falls further and further away to the rest of the body. You will then talking and swallowing problems. After that relax the neck and arm and leg muscles. Some people have breathing problems. Fever does not belong to botulism.

Do you think you have botulism? Will you as soon as possible to the doctor or hospital. The doctor gives you an antidote. The sooner you get this antidote, the better.

What are the signs and symptoms of botulism?

The first symptoms of botulism usually occur suddenly, 8 to 36 hours after infection. You will then experience:

1. nausea;
2. vomiting;
3. tiredness;
4. dry mouth;
5. blockage. Not everyone with botulism gets constipated. Especially with botulism via the skin is that rare.

Within 24 hours after the occurrence of these phenomena creates a paralysis. Muscle weakness begins with the eyes. You have blurred vision, drooping eyelids, and you can see things up close not sharp. Then arise difficulty speaking and swallowing. If you often chokes and therefore inhale food, you can get pneumonia.
Then relax your neck and the arm and leg muscles. Some people have breathing problems. This is the main cause of death in botulism.
It happens that the disease develops so rapidly that the breathing problems are the first symptom of botulism.

Botulism not affect the consciousness and does not cause fever.

Botulism infection

The bacterium that causes botulism called Clostridium botulinum.

The bacteria can survive for a long time by forming spores. Spores are a kind of germ cells at rest which only germinate when conditions are favorable. For example, in warm weather, moisture, and if there is no oxygen. They then form new bacteria botulinum toxin, a neurotoxin, create. You will get sick if you detect in your body which will germinate or if you poison 'ready' ingest.
This can be done in different ways:

1. By food. In honey, little air packaged fish or meat, home-canned foods (such as jam) and canned food poison sometimes occurs as traces in food are left that have germinated.
2. Via a wound. When spores of the bacteria through a wound penetrating the body, they germinate to produce poison. This is possible when swimming in water with dead animals. This type of botulism is very rare.
3. By deliberate contamination of water and food or intentional spread through the air for biological warfare or bioterrorism.

Botulism in children under one year old is almost always the honey. The intestines of young children are not yet well developed and can not even against the spores. Give babies therefore no honey.

Treatment for botulism

If you think you have botulism, you need as quickly as possible to your doctor or hospital. You need as quickly as possible to get an antidote. Preferably within 72 hours after infection. The sooner you get the antidote, the sooner the poison is disabled in your body.

Do you have botulism by something you ate? Then you can get a gastric lavage or your doctor may induce vomiting or give a laxative. In this way disappear poison that is not absorbed from your body. This only makes sense if the doctor has detected the contamination in time.

People with respiratory problems are placed on the intensive care unit of the hospital. They are given artificial respiration. Sometimes it is necessary to provide extra power supply with a drip.

To recover from botulism should make your body produce new nerve cells. It takes weeks to months.