Can A Person Be Allergic To Iodine And Shellfish
People who are allergic to shellfish are sometimes advised that they may be allergic to iodine as well, based on cross reactivity. This is not true. It is possible to be allergic to iodine, but those allergies are not related to shellfish allergies. With thanks to the Childrens Allergy Clinic, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust,
What Is Considered Shellfish And What Foods Should A Person With A Seafood Allergy Avoid
Once you or your child test positive for a seafood allergy, your doctor will give you all sorts of informative pamphlets and literature regarding whats safe to consume. It goes without saying this includes shellfish. Interestingly, some people with shellfish allergies will react to crustaceans and not mollusks or vice versa confirm with a healthcare provider whether you should stay away from all shellfish or certain types.
As a general rule of thumb, though, a person with shellfish allergies should avoid:
- abalone
- snails
- whelks
Basically, youll need to become a pro at reading food labels and just being super-vigilant about where your food comes from. Any food made in a seafood restaurant could be cross-contaminated with shellfish. Some people can have an allergic reaction simply from being around cooking odors, from touching shellfish, or from being exposed to shellfish steam .
How Is A Shellfish Allergy Diagnosed
A simple skin prick test can identify a shellfish allergy. The test involves puncturing the skin of the forearm and introducing a small amount of the allergen into it. If youre allergic, a small itchy red spot will appear within a few minutes as the mast cells release histamine.
Theres also a blood test available to diagnose a shellfish allergy. The test is called an allergen-specific IgE antibody test or radioallergosorbent test. It measures the immune systems response to shellfish.
Allergy testing is the only sure way to tell if a reaction after eating shellfish is indeed a shellfish allergy.
The only way to prevent a shellfish allergy is to avoid all shellfish and all products that contain shellfish.
Here are some tips for avoiding shellfish:
Ask the staff how food is prepared when eating in a restaurant. Asian restaurants often serve dishes that contain fish sauce as a flavoring base. A shellfish-based broth or sauce may trigger an allergic reaction. Make sure to ask that the oil, pan, or utensils used to cook shellfish arent also used to prepare other foods. Stay away from steam tables or buffets.
Avoid eating at a seafood restaurant or shopping in a fish market. Some people react even if they inhale steam or vapor from cooking shellfish. Cross-contamination also is possible in establishments that serve seafood.
- surimi
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What Helps A Shellfish Allergy
Your doctor may instruct you to treat a mild allergic reaction to shellfish with medications such as antihistamines to reduce signs and symptoms, such as a rash and itchiness. If you have a severe allergic reaction to shellfish , youll likely need an emergency injection of epinephrine .
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How To Perform A Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Hands-only CPR
To carry out a chest compression:
When you call for an ambulance, telephone systems now exist that can give basic life-saving instructions, including advice about CPR. These are now common and are easily accessible with mobile phones.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation with rescue breaths
If youve been trained in CPR, including rescue breaths, and feel confident using your skills, you should give chest compressions with rescue breaths. If youre not completely confident, attempt hands-only CPR instead .
Adults
Children over one year old
Infants under one year old
Recovery position
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The Symptoms And Management Of Shellfish Allergies
Shellfish allergy is the most common food allergy among adults in the United States.
Unlike many food allergies, shellfish allergy is more likely to develop in adulthood than in early childhood. The majority of people who have shellfish allergies have their first reaction as adults. Once you develop a shellfish allergy, it tends to be severe and lifelong.
Symptoms of shellfish allergy usually appear within minutes up to two hours of eating shellfish.
These symptoms may include:
- Skin reactions such as hives or eczema
- Allergic conjunctivitis: Itchy, red, watery eyes
- Digestive reactions such as nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Airway symptoms such as wheezing or coughing or a runny nose
- Angioedema: swelling of lips, tongue, throat, or face
Shellfish allergies may cause a severe reaction called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction and a medical emergency that requires immediate medical care.
Shellfish allergy also is the most common cause of exercise-induced anaphylaxis, in which the combination of eating a food allergen and exercising causes an anaphylactic reaction.
Do All Shellfish Cause The Same Reaction
Often, if you have an allergy to one type of shellfish, you will have an allergy to other types. Crustaceans cause more allergic reactions than mollusks.
You might have a reaction after eating lobster, for example, but eat scallops without a problem. If you have symptoms after eating shellfish, talk with your healthcare provider or allergist before eating any type of shellfish.
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Will I Need Food Allergy Testing To Diagnose A Shellfish Allergy
After asking you about your symptom history, your provider may do food allergy testing to confirm a diagnosis:
- Skin prick test: During this in-office test, your provider places a drop of the allergen on your skin and pricks your skin. The drop seeps into your skin. Your provider will confirm a diagnosis if a red, itchy bump appears after 15 to 30 minutes.
- Blood test: A blood test can help detect whether you have a specific food allergy.
These tests are not conclusive. Together with your symptoms and history, your provider will make a diagnosis.
Additional Steps To Take For Children With Shellfish Allergies
Since dangerous reactions can occur at any time, its important that parents of children with shellfish allergies make sure family, friends, and caregivers are aware of the childs allergy. These additional steps are important for children with shellfish and other food allergies:
- Involve all caregivers: relatives, babysitters, teachers, and the school nurse need to be made aware of your childs allergy. Emphasize with them the severity of the allergic response and ensure there are emergency supplies on hand.
- Create written plans: list steps that need to be taken if a reaction occurs. Include all medications that need to be given along with dosage amounts, as well as emergency contact information of family members and family physicians and allergists.
- Do not allow your child to share foods: children often share their snacks and treats, ensure your child understands the dangers of sharing foods since they may contain allergens.
- Purchase a medical alert bracelet: to help adults and caregivers understand your childs allergies and proper treatments in the case of emergency. This is critical if they are unable to communicate while in the midst of a reaction. The bracelet should include childs name and specific allergy.
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What Is Shellfish Poisoning And How Is It Different From Shellfish Allergy
Research has shown that shellfish poisoning occurs if the seafood is contaminated with bacteria or most commonly viruses . Consumption of contaminated shellfish like crabs, clams, shrimps, oysters, dried fish and salted raw fish will cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach pain and the effect of shellfish poisoning starts after 4 to 48 hours of eating.
Whereas, shellfish allergy occurs when the immune system reacts differently to the protein tropomyosin present in shellfish.
To Conclude…
If you are allergic to shellfish there are other food alternatives to choose from like grass-fed beef, beans, lentils, chicken, chicken liver and eggs as they are all protein-rich foods.
Prevalence Of Seafood Allergies & Sub
Allergies to seafood are the most commonly reported allergy for adults and are among the most common for young children. Seafood allergies affect about 1-3% of the general population, with allergy to shellfish specifically being the most common and tending to cause more severe reactions and emergency department visits. Seafood allergy can be split into two categories: fish allergy and shellfish allergy. Fish allergy can include allergies to species like the following: salmon, tuna, and cod. Shellfish allergy is further broken down into crustacean allergy and mollusk allergy . Many individuals who are allergic to one type of shellfish are also allergic to the other. Crustacean allergy is more common than mollusk allergy. Geographic distribution and varying dietary patterns also influence the prevalence of shellfish allergies for example, shellfish allergy is considered more common in Asian countries, where shellfish is more often consumed, than in, for instance, the US.
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Understanding A Shellfish Allergy
The various types of shellfish including lobster, crab, shrimp, clams, scallops, mussels and octopus can potentially have life-threatening consequences for an allergic child. In fact, as many as 1.3% of US kids may have an allergy to shellfish. Dr. Chacko is on hand to guide you and your child through the process of addressing a shellfish allergy.
What Exactly Is A Shellfish Allergy
Allergies to crustacean shellfish are more common and molluscan shellfish allergies are well known, but do not appear to occur as frequently. The major shellfish allergen has been identified as tropomyosin, a muscle protein that is present in different species of shellfish and could be responsible for cross-reactivity. This is why most people who are allergic to one type of shellfish are often allergic to other types as well.
Shellfish is one of the leading causes of food allergies in adults and is a common cause of food-induced anaphylaxis. In the U.S., a survey involving 14,948 individuals revealed that 2 to 3 percent of people believe to have a seafood allergy: 2.2 percent to shellfish and 0.6 percent to fish. From highest to lowest prevalence, shellfish allergy is most common in shrimp, crab, lobster, clam, oyster and mussels.
The growing international trade of seafood has added to the popularity of frequency of consumption of a variety of seafood products across the country. This increased production and consumption has been accompanied by more frequent reports of adverse health problems among consumers and processors of seafood. Research shows that adverse reactions to seafood are often generated by contaminants, but can also be mediated by the immune system and cause allergies.
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Adverse Reactions To Shellfish From Bacterial And Viral Etiologies
In addition to the above specific five types of shellfish toxicity, the differential diagnosis should include bacterial toxins, viral and bacterial infections. Although rare, Vibrio vulnificus is the leading cause death related to seafood consumption in the United States. This bacterium is part of the natural flora of coastal environments worldwide and has been isolated in a variety of seafood including shrimp, fish, oysters and clams. Consumption of undercooked or raw seafood contaminated with V. vulnificus can result in severe fulminant sepsis and development of severe cellulitis with ecchymoses and bullae. Risk factors include immunocompromised conditions especially alcoholic liver disease, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, and male gender. Treatment includes antibiotics and supportive care.
Food-borne botulism occurs upon ingestion of food contaminated by preformed toxin that is produced by Clostridium botulinum. Initial manifestations are GI symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Other initial symptoms include dry mouth, diplopia, blurred vision and photophobia caused by loss of pupillary light reflex. A symmetric descending flaccid paralysis may occur that can lead to respiratory failure.
Norwalk virus infection usually occurs after ingestion of contaminated raw shellfish and can spread through the fecal-oral route. Incubation period is 24-48 hours after exposure. Most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea which resolve after 24 hours.
Using A Small Dna Molecule To Counter The Allergy
With the lower IgE reactivity, hypoallergens are of lower risk in triggering allergic reactions. We also adopted the concept of DNA vaccination the injection the DNA sequence of the hypoallergen in a small circular piece of bacterial DNA.
When taken up by body cells, this piece of circular DNA is used by the cells machinery to produce the hypoallergen protein. Because these proteins are regarded as foreign, the immune system is alerted to trigger immune response. The continual production of the hypoallergen protein by the vaccine and body cells therefore educates the immune system as in the conventional immunotherapy but achieved with fewer shots.
This combinatorial approach offers the advantages of improved vaccine stability, relative ease of large-scale manufacture, reduced shots and treatment duration, and thus a lower cost of immunotherapy.
From our animal experiments three shots of this hypoallergen-DNA vaccine resulted in the decrease of IgE level by 70%, accompanied by the increase in the number and activity of immune cells with regulatory functions. This suggests that this vaccine may be a valuable treatment for inducing immune tolerance against shellfish allergy achievable with much fewer injections and within shorter time period.
However, the only FDA-approved plasmid, pVAX1, has limited immunogenicity in human, meaning that DNA vaccines constructed using pVAX1 has limited capacity in provoking immune responses in the body of a human.
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Considerations To Bear In Mind
When an individual develops a skin rash after consuming shrimp, he/she might have an allergy. It is vital to avoid any contact with shrimp. The individual should carefully read all the product labels if they contain shellfish. When eating outside, always ask the server if a particular dish contains shrimp.
The individual who has a confirmed allergy to shrimp must wear a medical bracelet that indicates that he/she is allergic to shrimp. Antihistamines are given to help calm the skin rash but an injection of epinephrine should be given to reverse the severe reaction. A doctor should be consulted if the allergy is severe since an injectable epinephrine will be prescribed. By enrolling in a course on first aid, you will learn how to properly administer epinephrine during a severe allergic reaction.
Emergency Treatment For Severe Allergic Reactions
If you are at risk of a severe allergic reaction , carry an adrenaline autoinjector such as an EpiPen®, and a means of calling for medical assistance, such as a mobile telephone.Emergency responses for a severe allergic reaction are:
- lay the person flat do not allow them to stand or walk
- administer adrenaline with an autoinjector
- always dial triple zero to call an ambulance in a medical emergency.
If you are at risk of a severe allergic reaction, make sure you:
- have a severe allergic reaction action plan
- carry an adrenaline autoinjector to treat a severe allergic reaction
- wear medical identification jewellery this increases the likelihood that adrenaline will be administered in an emergency
- avoid medication that may increase the severity of allergic reaction or complicate its treatment such as beta blockers
- seek medical advice.
- In an emergency, always call triple zero
- Emergency department of your nearest hospital
- Your doctor
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Allergic And Toxic Reactions To Seafood
Seafood allergy occurs most commonly where seafood is an important part of the diet, such as in Asia and Scandinavia. Some conditions caused by toxins or parasites in seafood can resemble allergic reactions to seafood.
Seafood allergy is not rare
Whilst figures vary from country to country, approximately 1% of the population is estimated to suffer from seafood allergy. It is more common in teenage and adult life than very early childhood. About 20% will grow out of their allergy with time.
Symptoms of seafood allergy
Many allergic reactions to seafood are mild and cause hives , tingling of the throat and mouth, swelling and/or gut reactions .
The most dangerous symptoms are breathing difficulties or collapse, caused by a drop in blood pressure , either of which can be life threatening. This is known as anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction.
Occasionally, breathing difficulties may occur from inhaling fumes when seafood is being cooked, and in seafood processing factories. Children with a history of asthma may be more likely to have severe allergic reactions to seafood.
Varieties of seafood
The major groups of seafood that can trigger allergic reactions are:
- Vertebrates Fish including salmon, cod, mackerel, sardines, herring, anchovies, tuna, trout, haddock, John Dory, eels, rays.
- Invertebrates Shellfish: crustaceans including prawns/shrimps, lobster, crab, crayfish, yabbies and molluscs including oysters, mussels, clams, octopus, squid, calamari, abalone, sea slugs.
