Brief Answer:
Brain damage might occur in about 5 percent people with brain involvement

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for writing in to us.

I have read through your query in detail.
Please find my observations below.

1. The brain is an important organ and any condition related to food poisoning which causes a change in the way the brain functions might cause brain damage.

2. The commonest cause of acute brain damage due to food poisoning is from severe dehydration. The brain is devoid of essential electrolytes and this might cause significant brain damage.

3. Brain damage is also caused due to bacteria causing infections or release of toxins which might affect the brain and spinal cord. Examples of such infection causing organism are Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter and Salmonella. These might cause Guillain barre syndrome in which the nerves are affected due to autoimmune mechanism triggered by an infection due to food poisoning.

4. There is also risk of heavy metal poisoning in the brain arising from consumption of foods and this causes encephalopathy. Example of this condition is lead, mercury and arsenic poisoning which might occur over a long duration through oral route in foods such as shellfish and sea food.

5. The exact likelihood of brain damage differs with the category of food poisoning. However brain damage or neurological symptoms are next to gastrointestinal symptoms and often both the systems are affected in a patient.

6. In those who are having neurological symptoms after food poisoning, long term brain damage might be expected in about 5 percent of patients with symptoms like memory deficits or sensory neuropathy because of brain manifestations following food poisoning.

7. In conclusion, almost every food poisoning shows gastrointestinal symptoms and if not treated on time then the patient might develop brain symptoms due to progress of illness.

Hope this answers your question. Please feel free to correct any oversight in my interpretation of your problems and discuss them in detail as per your requirements.

Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.

Regards,
Dr.Vivek

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Brief Answer:
Most acute neurological symptoms are obvious from bacterial infection

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for writing in to us.

1. In acute food poisoning, the effects might be obvious to a non medical person in cases of bacterial food poisoning. It usually starts few hours after food consumption and is preceded by fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting and which might progresses to weakness in muscles, disorientation, headache, neck rigidity and blurring of vision. It also causes irritability, inability to concentrate, restlessness and memory deficits.

2. In some mild cases and most severe patients with significant symptoms, brain damage might be picked up on MRI scan, if it involves any structural changes. This can be brain swelling, infection of the covering of brain, abnormal decreased blood supply to parts of the brain and any changes due to altered metabolism.

3. However problems like memory deficits might not be seen on MRI scan done several years later. This is more of a functional impairment and research is still going on to study these effects.

Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.

Regards,
Dr.Vivek

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