Food poisoning comes with a set of symptoms. Different types of food poisoning can bring about various symptoms. The short answer is yes, ingesting something contaminated can cause a rash, but the answer requires a bit more digging than that.
What Is Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning is an illness caused by drinking or eating something contaminated by toxins or germs. Gastroenteritis is an infection of the gut that causes diarrhea, a bellyache, and sometimes vomiting. Gastroenteritis is the result of food poisoning.
Symptoms of Food Poisoning
The most common symptom of food poisoning is diarrhea. Below you’ll find more.
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal Cramps
- Feeling Hot Then Cold
- Fever
- Chills
Some germs or viruses can contaminate food. While other times it is parasites that cause food poisoning. Parasites are living organisms that live in or on another living creature. Toxoplasma gondii is a common cause of food poisoning in the UK. Here is where the skin rash can come in.
This parasite lives in the bowels of various animals. If a food source such as vegetables in a garden becomes contaminated with the parasite or undercooked food containing a parasite, it can cause toxoplasmosis. The symptoms from this sort of food poisoning include swollen lymph glands and, in some cases, a skin rash.
Suppose, by chance, you’ve developed a rash after consuming food or beverages. In that case, the chances are it’s more of an allergic reaction than food poisoning. However, if you have any concerns, you should contact your doctor immediately to get checked out. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Allergic Reactions To Food
Around 8% of children and 10% of adults in the US have food allergies. Itching is one of the most common symptoms of food-related allergic reactions. The itching can start within a few minutes to a few hours after eating even the smallest amount of the food.
The itching can be in your mouth or on your skin, and it often comes in the form of a rash like eczema or hives. You might also experience some swelling on the skin or even body parts.
If you are unsure whether you have allergies to certain foods, you can check with your doctor to get some testing done. We highly recommend getting an allergy test if you’ve consumed foods or drinks that cause any type of reaction. Some allergies can be severe and even fatal. There are currently over 170 foods known to cause an allergic reaction.
Always listen to your body; it’s only trying to help you. If you eat or drink something and experience any symptoms afterward, you could be allergic, or it could be food poisoning. Please, reach out to a medical professional to get things squared away.
