Allergies to seafood, allergies that are common in adults

Seafood aka seafood is a favorite food of many people because of its delicious and appetizing taste. But unfortunately, there are some people who cannot enjoy it because they have an allergic reaction to seafood.

Causes of seafood allergies

All food allergic reactions occur because the immune system mistakenly detects certain substances in food as dangerous substances. This overreacting immune system produces antibodies called immunoglobulin E and sends signals to the body's cells to produce histamine which will attack these nutrients.

In seafood allergies, there are specific substances in seafood that trigger your allergies. Generally, the trigger is a protein called tropomyosin. Another possibility is the presence of arginine kinase and myosin light chain which can make the immune react negatively.

Due to the various types of seafood, people who have this allergy do not always show reactions when eating different types of seafood. For example, people who have allergies to fish are fine when they eat shellfish such as crabs, or vice versa. There are also people who have allergies to more than one type of seafood.

Thus, you cannot predict whether you will experience an allergic reaction when eating other types of seafood. The only way to know if an allergy is suspected is to see the reaction after eating the food.

What are the symptoms of a seafood allergy?

Everyone's immune system is different, moreover, the allergic reactions you feel are not always the same every time it happens. Symptoms of a food allergy due to seafood that appear are very diverse, ranging from mild to severe.

Mild symptoms can include a sensation of itching and the appearance of a red bump or rash on the skin. A tingling taste in the mouth and throat area is often a symptom experienced by people who have seafood allergies.

In addition, other symptoms that can arise are respiratory disorders such as shortness of breath and wheezing. There are also some people who experience diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting after eating foods containing allergens.

If the allergies are severe, a person can experience anaphylactic shock. The symptoms are similar to the usual symptoms, only of course the severity is higher and can be life threatening.

Anaphylactic shock can cause blood pressure to drop drastically, so that people experiencing it can feel dizzy until they lose consciousness. That's why this symptom must be taken seriously.

How to treat seafood allergies?

It is not certain whether a seafood allergy will disappear. So far, there is no cure for food allergy. Because that's the best way you can do is to avoid foods that contain marine ingredients as much as possible.

Every time you buy a food product, remember to always read the food information label first to make sure the product does not contain allergens.

For those of you who have fish allergies, you may have to be careful with some products such as barbecue sauce, salad dressing, or Worcestershire sauce because sometimes these products use fish in their manufacture.

If you are allergic to shellfish such as crab and shrimp, you will also be advised not to eat foods that contain other ingredients such as shellfish, squid, or snails because it is feared that they can cause the same allergic reaction.

When dining in a restaurant, you should ask the waiters and cooks to make sure that they use different utensils when cooking seafood with other foods. This is important to avoid the risk of cross contamination.

Even though you have avoided eating seafood, sometimes there are some foods that have hidden allergens that you don't know about. When this happens, you can take an antihistamine medication to relieve symptoms such as hives or a red rash.

If you have severe symptoms, you should always carry an epinephrine injection which is then injected into your upper thigh whenever you experience a reaction. After that, seek medical attention immediately or go to the emergency room.

Can this allergy be prevented since childhood?

Seafood allergies mostly occur in adolescence or adulthood. According to the Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), about 1 percent of the world's population has a seafood allergy. In fact, the risk of this allergy can increase by about 20 percent with age.

Usually, itchy skin or a rash that results from a seafood allergy can be treated with itchy ointments or oral antihistamine medications. But the question is, could this type of allergy be prevented earlier?

Actually, not all cases of food allergies will definitely be passed on from parents to children. This means, if you have an allergy to seafood, it is not certain that your child will also have the same allergy. So, there is still hope for you to prevent allergies on your little one.

Unfortunately it is not certain whether you can really prevent your little one from this allergy. However, it is believed that exclusive breastfeeding for six months might help reduce a child's risk of developing allergies.

This is because the substances in breast milk that line your baby's intestines will prevent food particles from leaking into your baby's bloodstream.

However, there is still a possibility that substances contained in breast milk can get into your baby's bloodstream. When this happens, food elimination will be carried out, in which the mother will reduce or even completely abstain from foods that may cause allergic reactions.

To detect allergies in children, check with the doctor and undergo allergy tests such as allergen exposure tests with skin prick. Through this test, you will also see how much risk your child is experiencing the same type of allergy as you.

For breastfeeding mothers, if the partner has allergies, then the mother also needs to avoid foods that are allergens to her partner, just in case.

Regardless of the possibility of allergies, breastfeeding is the simplest and most effective way to prevent allergies in children. If you do not want your little one to suffer from the same allergies, give exclusive breastfeeding and maximize it for up to two years to increase the child's immune system.