What are the symptoms of seafood allergy? They are allergy reactions ranging from mild symptoms such as hives or a stuffy nose to severe symptoms (anaphylaxis).
It can be fatal and even life-threatening. Seafood is one of the most common allergens, and the allergy is rarely prevalent.
The allergic reactions generally appear within two hours after eating shellfish, inhaling cooking fumes, or handling seafood. However, they may take up to 24 hours to appear.
Some people with seafood allergies react to all seafood (fish and shellfish). At the same time, others react to only certain kinds of seafood allergies. Click here to read related articles; are seafood allergies genetic?
You are getting an overview of symptoms of seafood allergy in this article.
Read on to find answers to your questions.
What Is Seafood Allergy?
Seafood allergy is a common allergy in adults and tends to be lifelong. It comprises fish and shellfish allergies in adults and children. The reaction of both allergies brings about symptoms of seafood allergy.
However, seafood allergy comes from shellfish and fish products, as shellfish and fish are biologically different. People with an allergy to fish should avoid all types of fish.
It is because there is a strong likelihood of an allergic reaction to another class. It is due to cross-contamination, which is an issue of concern. Click here to see a related article; what seafood should you avoid?
If someone is allergic to crustaceans or mollusks, you may not or have a higher chance of reacting to fish. My friend is allergic to shellfish but eats fish as instructed by her allergist.
Meanwhile, she abstained from all types of shellfish products. To be more careful, she does not eat outside.
It is one of the conditions you may consider if you have any allergy reaction, which is symptoms of seafood allergy.
Your first aid is to avoid that type of food and not eat outside your circumference. Read labels if you react to one kind of seafood. They will likely respond to others, especially in the same group.
The vapors from seafood cooking can also cause an allergic reaction in people with severe allergies.
Since November 2005, companies must specify crustaceans, mollusks, and fish in pre-packed foods.
Avoiding foods or products containing shellfish, even minor ingredients, is essential to manage a shellfish allergy. Always read product labels carefully.
What Is Shellfish Allergy
Shellfish allergy is a food allergy that differs from a fish allergy. It occurs while eating crustaceans, mollusks, cephalopods, and echinoderms.
The crustacean group shrimps, lobster, prawns, and crabs, cause the most allergic reactions within the shellfish family. At the same time, mollusks came second in their world of allergy.
However, many shellfish-allergic individuals can eat mollusks without any problems because they are mild than crustaceans allergy.
It’s essential to consult an allergist before trying other shellfish if experiencing shellfish allergy symptoms.
Cross-contamination can occur as shellfish are primarily in restaurants and markets. Shellfish allergies can develop in adulthood and affect both adults and children.
Genetic shellfish allergies have a higher risk of developing food allergies because 60-70% of children contract allergies if their parents or there is a family history of such allergies.
Shellfish allergies occur at any age but are more common in adults than children because their recommendations should be in moderation at any age.
But no matter your age or family history, it is good to go for a checkup anytime you have any reactions.
Shellfish allergy is common in all ages as long as you are allergic to shellfish, especially in women, children, and boys.
Be cautious of the symptoms of an allergic reaction to shellfish or fish because it can be dangerous.
Bring it to the notice of people around you that you have shellfish allergy so they can always help you with your first aid to avoid fatality.
What Is Fish Allergy?
A fish allergy differs from a seafood allergy, as seafood includes fish and shellfish. Fish only cause an allergic reaction in people with fish allergies.
People with a fish allergy may be allergic to some types of fish but not others and can even react to touching or breathing in the steam from cooked fish.
The immune system overreacts to proteins in fish, releasing chemicals like histamine, which can cause various allergic symptoms.
Thus, people with a fish allergy will likely have the condition for their entire life as their bodies will see the proteins in fish as harmful invaders. And they release chemicals like histamine in response.
How Long After Eating Seafood Can You React?
How long after eating seafood can you react? Seafood reactions generally start within minutes to an hour after eating or having anything to do with shellfish or fish.
According to studies, food allergies come up mainly in adulthood, which can stay for life. “if you inhale or touch any seafood you are allergic to; either shellfish or fish, the allergy will occur instantly.
Allergy reactions can cause anaphylaxis within seconds to minutes after exposure to allergens products. It can get worst at any time, no matter when it starts.
How Long Does A Seafood Allergy Last?
How long does a seafood allergy last? Seafood allergies typically last for a lifetime. About one-third of children and adults with a food allergy eventually outgrow the allergy.
But rates of naturally outgrowing food allergies will vary depending on the specific food allergen and the person.
What Is The Most Common Seafood Allergy?
What is the most common seafood allergy? Shellfish allergy is the most common type of seafood allergy.
Within the shellfish category, crustaceans such as shrimp, lobster, prawns, Norway lobster, and crabs are the most allergenic.
Some people may be allergic to only one type of shellfish, while others must avoid all shellfish. However, many shellfish-allergic people can tolerate mollusks such as scallops, oysters, clams, and mussels.
Among shellfish, it is the crustacean group that causes the most significant number of allergic reactions.
The Spanish Association of People with Food and Latex Allergies (Aepnaa) identifies crustaceans as the most allergenic shellfish.
Bivalve mollusks like mussels, clams, oysters, and gastropod mollusks like snails and periwinkles follow in frequency. Cephalopods like squid, cuttlefish, and octopus are the least allergenic.
However, raw or undercooked shellfish from the cephalopod family may harbor the dreaded anisakis parasite, which can cause digestive disorders and allergic reactions in some people.
The recommendation is to freeze them at 20ºC below zero for at least five days if they are to be eaten raw or cook them at more than 60ºC for at least two minutes in the center of the piece.
Being allergic to fish, such as salmon, tuna, or catfish, differs from seafood and shellfish allergies.
You can eat fish while suffering from shellfish allergy. Being diagnosed with fish allergy does not mean you will not eat shellfish because the two are different.
Rely on the instructions of your healthcare provider for a good guide.
What Are The Symptoms Of Mild Seafood Allergy?
What are the symptoms of mild seafood allergy? The symptoms of mild seafood allergy may include:
- Coughing and choking ( tightened throat)
- Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
- Hives
- Itchy, irritated skin
- Nasal stuffiness (congestion)
- Swelling of the lips, face, tongue, throat, or other parts of the body
- Wheezing or trouble breathing
- Urticaria
- Inflammation
- Heartburn
- Shortness of breath
- Stomachache
- Cramps
- Flatulence
- Daze
- Fainting
- swelling around the mouth
- throat closure
- Runny nose
- Flushes to the skin
- Rash
- Tingly mouth
- Dizziness
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid heart rate
- Throat tightness
- Swollen tongue
- Redness around the mouth.
Anaphylaxis (Severe Symptoms)
This condition has severe symptoms that call for urgent medical attention and are fatal. Treat an anaphylactic reaction with an epinephrine (adrenaline) injection.
Here Are The Symptoms Of Anaphylaxis You Look Out For:
- A swollen throat or tongue.
- Coughing with some difficulty breathing
- Shock with low blood pressure and weak pulse.
- Severe skin rash
- Hives
- itching or swelling
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
When To See A Doctor
Under life-threatening anaphylaxis symptoms, do not waste time seeking emergency treatment urgently. See an allergy specialist for any doubt you see in your system.
How Do You Treat Seafood Allergies?
How do you treat seafood allergies? An allergy action plan can also help prepare and treat allergic reactions. Share this plan with anyone around you, including family members, school staff, and friends.
Let it always be in your bag, like asthma patients carry inhalers. Moreover, always wearing a medical alert bracelet and everywhere will be to your advantage.
My friend’s doctor advised her to always have more than one epinephrine auto-injectors with her in case of a severe reaction. An epinephrine auto-injector is a prescription medication in a small, easy-to-carry container.
Your doctor can teach you how to use it. The way diabetic patients carry their insulin and glucometer to check and inject themselves. Always have the auto-injector on hand, do not keep it in a locker, school health office, or home.
Additionally, wearing a medical alert bracelet can be helpful. The best treatment for seafood allergies is to stop eating fish, shellfish, and the products you are allergic to.
However, controlling all seafood with their high profile can be challenging, resulting in malnutrition. But it is better to avoid eating seafood than to face the risk of a severe allergic reaction.
If this prescription for an adrenaline injector is due to high risk, ensure you have an Action Plan for Anaphylaxis specific to the injector brand, which means the one that matches you.
Reading food labels is crucial for people with food allergies to help avoid food.
The food label will help prevent unnecessary reactions to shellfish or fish allergies. It’s essential to consult a doctor or a clinical immunology/allergy specialist about your food allergy diagnosis and treatment options to avoid inaccurate diagnosis.
What Should You Not Eat After Seafood Allergy?
What should you not eat after a seafood Allergy? Seafood you will not eat to avoid seafood allergy are as follows;
Do Not Eat Anything Made From Fish
- Fish extracts
- Cured fish
- Fish fingers and nuggets
- Omega-3 rich oils – derived from fish
- (Piscum lecur) Fish oils
- Fish spread/paste
- Ceviche
- Fish cakes
- Anchovies
- Fish sauce
Do Not Eat All Species Of Fresh Fish
- Cod
- Haddock
- Plaice
- Trout
- Tuna
- Smoked fish
- Sardines
- Sea bream
- Shark
- Salmon
Avoid All Types Of Shellfish:
Fresh crustaceans such as (there are more):
- Crab
- Shrimp
- Lobster
- Prawn
- Crayfish
- Langoustine
- Chitosan
- Scampi
Fresh mollusks such as (there are more):
- Squid
- Octopus
- Cuttlefish
- Snails
- Mussels
- Clams
- Oysters
- Scallops
Do Not Eat Other Products Containing Fish Or Shellfish:
- Bloody Mary (contain Worcestershire sauce)
- Bouillabaisse (French fish stew)
- Caviar (fish eggs)
- Fish fingers
- Roe (fish eggs)
- Fish cakes
- Scampi
- Fish stock
- Oyster sauce
- Prawn chips
- Fish pie
- Prawn crackers
- Seafood chowder
- Shrimp paste
- Sushi
- Taramasalata (contains fish eggs)
What Causes Seafood Allergy?
What causes seafood allergy? The reaction of the immune system causes seafood allergy. The plan identifies a protein substance that is harmless from the seafood that reacts to eat, making it harmful.
Allergen is the name of this substance that reacts against seafood. In the case of shellfish allergy, the immune system mistakenly identifies a protein in shellfish as harmful.
The immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies these allergens produce protect against it. When exposed to this protein again, the antibodies trigger the release of chemicals like histamine into the bloodstream, leading to allergic reactions.
Thus, the triggering molecule may be present in various foods. If you are allergic to it, you may react to all foods containing that molecule.
Some individuals may also experience cross-reactivity, where they are allergic to one type of fish or crustacean and may be allergic to others. It is challenging to predict cross-reactivity.
Discussing this with your clinical immunology/allergy specialist is essential. Now that you know the cause of seafood allergy, avoiding seafood and its products is better.
That is why it is advisable to read the label on any product before consumption. My little cause came to visit us from Aukloham City. We gave her milk to drink,
I wanted to open it, but she hurriedly stopped me and started reading the label to know the content. Did I ask her why? She said she reacts to any strawberry content.
There are several types of fish and shellfish, each containing different proteins.
Here Is A List Of Fish Causing Symptoms Of Seafood Allergy:
- Salmon
- Snapper
- Trout
- Tuna
- Barramundi
- Cod
- Flake
- Whiting
Here Is The List Of Shellfish (Including Mollusks And Crustaceans) Causing Symptoms Of Seafood Allergy:
- Lobster
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Prawns
- Squid.
- Calamari
- Crayfish
- Cuttlefish
- Crabs
- Shrimp
- Prawn
- Squid
- Octopus
- Snails
- Clams
- Abalone And Scallops, Among Others.
How Do You Calm Symptoms of Seafood Allergy?
How do you calm symptoms of seafood allergy? There are no proven means to alleviate seafood allergy symptoms rather than immediate treatment.
Some experts are doing more research to find lasting solutions to allergic reactions and prevent further attacks. So, no proven treatment that can prevent or completely relieve symptoms.
Instead, it goes from mild to severe symptoms. Oral immunotherapy is currently a potential treatment for food allergies.
Thus, the process involves gradually increasing the allergen dose by swallowing or placing it under the tongue.
The oral immunotherapy drug, Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and Allergen Powder-dnfp (Palforzia), was approved recently by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
It is for children ages 4 to 17 with a confirmed peanut allergy. The recommendation is not for uncontrolled asthma patients. Do not be deceived.
Carry all the necessary proactive measures to handle the crisis rather than relying on preventive measures. For now, there is no proven evidence to calm food allergies.
Diagnosis Of Symptoms Of Seafood Allergy
Diagnosis of symptoms of seafood allergy is challenging, as there is no perfect test for confirming or ruling out a food allergy.
When seeking a diagnosis, a doctor will consider various factors, including the patient’s symptoms, family history, and physical examination.
The diagnosis can include skin tests, blood tests, elimination diets, and oral food challenges.
For shellfish allergies, symptoms can vary from person to person, and individuals may react even if they do not eat the shellfish themselves.
Allergists use detailed questioning about the history of allergy, and symptoms, to diagnose food allergies.
They ask questions about what and how much the patient ate and how long it took to develop the symptoms. What is your experience, and whether it was genetic or came up in old age?
The allergist also asks about the time the allergy has lasted. Allergists also conduct skin-prick tests and blood tests to measure the amount of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to specific foods in the body.
However, a positive test result does not necessarily indicate that the patient will react to that food when eaten. A negative test result is more helpful in ruling out a food allergy.
To diagnose definitively, an allergist may conduct an oral food challenge.
The laboratory technician feeds the patient gradually increasing amounts of the suspected allergy-causing food under strict supervision.
It is essential to consult an allergist when a food allergy is suspected.
They can determine which tests to perform, confirm whether an allergy exists, and provide advice on managing exposure and symptoms once the diagnosis is confirmed.
Diagnosing food allergies requires a comprehensive approach considering various factors and testing methods.
For accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan, always go for checkups and avoid self-medication unless the doctor’s authority.
Conclusion
If you have observed seafood allergy symptoms, talk to your allergists. Running a test is necessary to confirm and apply the proper medication to the allergy.
The steps you take will help to avoid future reactions. The diagnosis is quite expensive and ineffective treatments, and unnecessary food avoidance may lead to malnutrition and food aversion, especially in children.
In a minor allergic reaction, prescribed or over-the-counter antihistamines may help reduce symptoms.
However, counter-prescription cannot handle severe allergic reactions that need epinephrine injection. The emergency room is necessary for such a situation.
Allergic patients carry their medication alongside them because it will be a fatal mistake without it. Know how to use it and teach your closest pals how to administer the drug in an emergency. Click here to read related articles; are seafood allergies genetic?
The recommendation is to always carry an auto-injector with you, and keeping an extra one in your car or desk at work is a good idea.
Always replace epinephrine before its expiration date to ensure it works properly.