Botulism: What are the signs?

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Food poisoning from canned food is known as botulism. It is common among home-canned goods but can also be acquired from processed canned foods. Remember that botulism is a serious poison triggered by a nerve toxin released by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria.

The signs of botulism food poisoning strikingly resemble other ailments but if the individual has eaten foods that might be contaminated, it is vital to closely monitor any possible symptoms. In most cases, these symptoms might arise as early as 6 hours after consumption or delayed up to 10 days.

botulism
The symptoms that affect the digestive tract include vomiting, stomach pain and nausea.

Visual issues

The visual issues that might arise are the usual indications of botulism such as blurred vision or double vision. Even though not directly linked with vision, the eyelids become droopy.

Mouth and GI tract symptoms

The symptoms that involve the mouth include difficulty swallowing and dry mouth. Since the botulism toxin affects the nerves, muscular weakness also occurs. Take note that this weakness that arises around the mouth can lead to slurred speech.

The symptoms that affect the digestive tract include vomiting, stomach pain and nausea.

What are the effects on the nervous system?

The symptoms stated above such as slurred speech, muscular weakness and difficulty swallowing are brought about by the effects of the botulinum toxin on the nervous system.

Once botulism affects the nerves, it leads to weakening of the muscle tone all over the body. It often starts with the shoulders and later progresses to the arms, thighs, calves and into the feet. If the muscular weakness is ignored and botulism is not promptly treated, paralysis is likely to occur.

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