Seafood Allergy

Seafood allergy is one of the most fatal food allergies in people.  In fact, in America alone, about 29,000 cases of food-related anaphylaxis are received in hospitals each year and 125-150 results to death. 

Initial symptoms include rashes, burning sensation, itching, dizziness, diarrhea, abdominal pains and vomiting.  Anaphylaxis symptoms often follow such as tightness of the throat, difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath, swelling, asthma, and heart palpitations.  These allergic reactions can begin after a few minutes of ingesting the food or within 24 hours.

Types of seafood known to cause allergic reactions vary from fish (Cod, herring, halibut, trout, mackerel, etc), mollusks (oysters, mussels, squid), to crustaceans (crabs, shrimps, crayfish).  In most cases, a person with seafood allergy is only allergic to one specific type of seafood.

For instance, a person with extreme allergy to shrimps and prawns can eat any type of fish and mollusks without getting any allergic reaction.  On the other hand, a person who is allergic to cuttlefish and squid can eat shrimps, fish, and other mollusks like mussels and oyster without getting any adverse reactions.  However, in some cases a person can be allergic to more than one type of seafood.

The reason behind this is that different types of seafood each have a different allergen.  In codfish, parvalbumins are the known allergens while in crustaceans, tropomyosin is the substance known to trigger allergic attacks.  However, some types of fish and mollusks contain the same allergen, thus causing same allergic reactions in a person.  In fact, a person who is allergic to fish is most likely to be allergic to another type of fish.  Someone allergic to mussels has a tendency to become allergic to another or other kinds of shellfish.

Another cause of seafood allergy is toxins in fish and shellfish.  Histamine fish poisoning results when a fish is contaminated with the bacteria known as ’scromboid”.  Spoiled fish and sardines are also known to cause histamine food poisoning. This is because the substance histamine in fishes is not destroyed even after the fish has been cooked in fire. This type of seafood allergy or food poisoning can often be treated using an anti-histamine drug. 

However, for more sever types of seafood allergy, a proper diagnosis should be conducted to get to know the specific type allergen the person responds to.  This way, ingesting these types of food that leads to serious allergic attacks can be properly avoided.