Fish Allergy
A fish allergy and a shellfish allergy are two different things. While a shellfish allergy includes lobster, clams, shrimp and any other fish with an outer hard shell, a fish allergy includes more routine types of fish--salmon, tuna, pollock, cod, eel, snapper, and others.
A fish allergy usually develops in adults and if you are allergic to one kind of fish, the chances are good you are also allergic to others. The best thing to do is avoid all fish or if you really want to have fish in your diet, talk to your doctor about testing to determine exactly which kind of fish you should not eat.
As in all allergies, with a fish allergy the body’s immune system is triggered when it mistakenly senses that a fish protein is an enemy substance and must be attacked and eliminated from the body. It releases histamines as a means of protection. It is these histamines that cause an allergy--the body swells up, there can be sneezing, hives, a tingling in the mouth, gastro-intestinal problems such as diarrhea and vomiting, and a swollen throat and nasal passages can result in trouble breathing or in respiratory arrest, known as anaphylactic shock.
Anyone experiencing the severe reaction of anaphylactic shock must be treated in the emergency room or carry with them at all times a doctor-prescribed anaphylactic shock medicine kit with antihistamines and a syringe of epinephrine to reverse the reaction.
Diagnosis can be made by a skin test in which skin is pricked and different kinds of fish protein are sprinkled on the opening. A hive will appear if the person is allergic to the fish. A blood test can also be done to see if there are histamines in the blood after an allergic reaction.
People can have an easier time avoiding fish and fish products than they can wheat, gluten, corn or other foods that cause allergies. However, the treatment for a fish allergy is not to eat any fish or products containing fish, being careful to always read labels. While the names of fish can be easy to spot, other products have fish oils, additives or proteins. These include Caesar salad dressing, Worcestershire sauce, gelatin, Thai fish sauce, bouillabaisse, fumet (fish stock), and omega-3 supplements, among others.
In addition, there is a fish parasite, anisakis simplex, that can cause the same kind of fish allergies as fish themselves. This is another place to look if you have eliminated all of the fish but you are still triggering allergic reactions. Fish is one of eight allergens identified by U..S. law as one which must be put on the label of any product containing it, even if it’s just a small amount.
Tuna and mackerel are considered to be kinds of fish that cause the fewest number of allergic reactions. By meeting with your doctor or nutritionist, you can easily set up a fish-free diet and meal plan that will enable you to live with any kind of fish allergy.