ConsumerReports.org - Seafood allergies 6/05: Seafood allergy, shellfish allergy.

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Health & fitness

June 2005

Seafood allergies: Common, sudden, deadly

Seafood lovers beware: Allergies to fish or shellfish, unlike most other food allergies, typically develop without warning, often as full-blown, potentially life-threatening reactions in adults who’ve never had any such allergies before. Seafood allergies are more prevalent than scientists previously thought, affecting an estimated 6.6 million Americans, more than twice the number with peanut or tree-nut allergies. But physicians seldom give such allergic individuals the tools they need to neutralize the possible next attack.

In what the authors call the first large study focused on seafood allergy, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the nonprofit Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) in Fairfax, Va., gathered information on some 15,000 adults and children, using strict criteria to ensure accuracy. The study, published in the July 2004 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that about 3 percent of adults were allergic to seafood, with the highest prevalence in middle age, compared with less than 1 percent of children.

Some 16 percent of people with that allergy reportedly received an injection of epinephrine to relieve a severe reaction to seafood, such as hives, wheezing, throat tightness, or anaphylactic shock. But fewer than 10 percent of those treated people also received a prescription for self-injectable epinephrine (EpiPen) to carry with them in case of emergency.

People who’ve had reactions after eating seafood or any other food should be evaluated by an allergist. If diagnosed as having a food allergy, they should ask for the rescue drug and carry it with them. They should also carry an over-the-counter antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl Allergy) or loratadine (Claritin) in case of mild-to-moderate reactions, as well as a wallet card saying they’re allergic to that particular food.

Those people should scrupulously avoid the offending food, since even minute traces could cause serious problems, and exposure that has caused a mild reaction in the past could be life-threatening in the future. For more information about food allergies, visit FAAN’s Web site, www.foodallergy.org.

	Did you know?

"Food allergy" self-diagnosis is
usually false

Some 20 percent to 30 percent of American adults think that they’re allergic to one or more foods, surveys have shown. But careful research now indicates that only 4 percent of adults have a true food allergy, which can cause serious reactions (see the story above). Most other people who think they’re allergic probably have less dangerous food intolerances, other studies suggest. Symptoms of intolerance include gas and bloating caused by difficulty digesting dairy or high-fiber foods; asthma attacks provoked by sulfur preservatives in foods such as dried fruit, shrimp, and wine; and migraine headaches triggered by histamines or related substances in foods such as aged cheese, chocolate, cured meats, and certain fruits and vegetables.