Medical history for food poisoning

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Medical history for food poisoning

A medical history for food poisoning includes asking questions about symptoms, such as:

• When did the symptoms begin? What are they like? How long have they lasted?
• Is there blood in the diarrhea? If so, how much?
• Do you have fever or chills? Do you have abdominal cramps, nausea, or vomiting?
• Have you felt lightheaded or lost consciousness?

Your health professional will also ask questions about any contributing factors, such as:

• Have you recently eaten any suspicious foods, undercooked meat, or raw (unpasteurized) milk or dairy products?
• Did you swim in or drink from a stream or lake recently?
• Have you visited a farm or petting zoo or had contact with reptiles or pets with diarrhea?
• Have you eaten at any outdoor events or buffets?
• Are people who ate the same foods also sick?
• What medications do you regularly take or have you taken recently?
• Have you traveled to a region where food poisoning is common? If so, what kinds of foods did you eat, and what were your eating habits?
• Do you live or work in a nursing home or other custodial care facility?
• Do you work in a day care center, or does your child attend a day care center?
• Do you work as a food handler?

Credits

Last updated:	March 15, 2007
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Christine Hahn, MD - Epidemiology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC