Symptoms of fish allergy: how to cope with them?

Symptoms of fish allergy are usually challenging to deal with. An allergy to fish increases a risk of appearing of severe bronchial asthma. Allergens contained in fish cause itching or tingling in the mouth area immediately after contact with them. The greatest danger, in this case, is an anaphylactic shock – a severe systemic reaction of the body, in which cells begin to secrete a large amount of histamine, that provokes swelling of the tissues throughout the body. An anaphylactic shock provokes the falling of arterial pressure. The person can lose consciousness and even die. People diagnosed with an “allergy to fish” should always bring the medications prescribed by the doctor with themselves.

If a person has an allergy to one fish type, there is a high probability that he will also have an allergic reaction to other fish species. The reason is in a parvalbumin protein, that is in many types of fish. For this reason, people with an allergy to a single kind of fish are advised to avoid food that contains fish in general. Although some fish species – for example, tuna and mackerel – are considered to be less allergenic than others. If you want to include fish in your diet, ask the doctor for specialized testing, which will help determine the products that are safe for you.

Some types of allergies that masquerade as an allergy to fish can be an allergy to a fish parasite called anisakiasis. This helminth is considered to be a dangerous allergen and, like allergens that are contained in fish can cause severe allergic reactions, even anaphylactic shock. If you have an allergic reaction after eating fish, but the results of tests for fish allergy are negative – go to the doctor for an allergy test for its parasite. Anisakidosis can cause allergy even after its larvae are destroyed during cooking.

People who are allergic to fish should carefully read the labels on fish products in grocery stores, and also carefully explain the peculiarities of their diet to waiters in restaurants.

These features are especially expressed in watermelons, pink grapefruits, and tomatoes.

Such a beneficial effect on the body makes lycopene, because it is a powerful antioxidant, and the inflammatory process is one of the leading moments in the pathogenesis of cancer and atherosclerosis.

Doctors recommend frying well products containing lycopene because the carotenoid after such processing is maximally absorbed since it is a fat-soluble compound. If you decided to eat an apple, then it’s better to do it after the main meal.

As for the allergy, red fruits and vegetables are capable of causing it, but this is not due to its color. As a rule, allergic reactions are developed in response to an atypical allergen for this area. Allergy to pomegranate is more likely to appear in an area where it doesn’t grow.

Moreover, a lot of modified vegetables and fruits appeared on the markets, and regardless of the color, it is impossible to predict the reaction of the body to such a product.

To protect yourself as much as possible from the risk of developing a food allergy, you should only buy of red fruits and vegetables, that you know well.

If the eaten fruit caused the development of food allergy, the symptoms manifest from a few minutes to two hours after eating this product.

Signs of food allergy:

• skin rash;
• swelling of the throat, lips;
• nausea, vomiting;
• diarrhea;
• anaphylactic shock.

Usually, an allergy caused by a particular kind of fruit, and not necessarily red. The exception is the allergy to lycopene and anthocyanin.

Visit the doctor, take the course of the prescribed antihistamines, and then refuse to use allergy-causing products if you find symptoms of an allergy.

In severe cases, urgent hospitalization and consultation with an allergist are necessary.

Allergens

Cereal pollen. Pollen of a foxtail, bentgrass, a feather grass, weed, a grasshopper, fescue and other cereals can cause such a variety of allergies, like pollinosis. The flowering of cereal grasses lasts from May to early September. This type of allergens is distributed while breathing.

Cereal protein. Allergy can be caused by cereal proteins – gluten (wheat and rye), hordein (barley), avenin (oats). Malt, which is made from barley, also contains gluten. This kind of allergens is transmitted by eating.

Allergic reactions

Gastrointestinal tract. Clinical manifestations of food allergies include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting. Sometimes diarrhea appears. There are violations of electrolyte balance, poly hypovitaminosis, exhaustion when the allergy progresses. Also, there is a possibility of an appearance of cholecystitis, dysbiosis, chronic enteritis, complicated by a syndrome of insufficiency of absorption.

Respiratory system. An allergy to cereals can be accompanied by rhinitis – edema of the nasal mucosa. There is an obstruction, discharge, itching. A bronchospasm may occur in the upper respiratory tract. Allergy to cereals occurs wheezing, shortness of breath and asthma attacks.

Leather. Dermatological manifestations of allergies include various rashes. Eczema, urticaria, contact dermatitis, itching and burning on the skin can appear. The most typical body parts for rashes – the abdomen, groin, elbows.

Prevention and treatment

An air purification in the apartment. During the active flowering of cereals, the concentration of pollen in the air rises. To prevent the occurrence of allergy, you must regularly clean the air in the apartment.

Diet. To prevent allergy, it is recommended to limit the use of confectionery and sweet dishes – sugar, sweets, jam, as well as salty and smoked products. It is not recommended to eat apples, nuts, honey, cherries, birch sap, apricots, strawberries. For children and adults, meat and soups from meat, dairy products, and milk, beans, egg dishes are allowed.

An egg allergy: how does it start?

An allergy to eggs is a fairly frequent phenomenon. The fact is that chicken eggs contain a large number of nutritional elements: vitamins B-12 and E, proteins, iron, folic acid, calcium, and others. Theoretically, an allergy can be caused by each of these substances. But mainly the egg allergy is divided into two subspecies: an allergy to chicken protein and an allergy to the chicken yolk. A yolk is a rather weak allergen, almost 50 times weaker than protein. The yolk contains vitellin, which is the most allergenic in it, and it is destroyed during cooking usually. The egg allergy caused by protein or albumin predominantly.

Allergy to chicken protein manifests itself immediately – on the skin (itching, rash, eczema, Quincke’s edema), breathing disorders (bronchial asthma, nasal congestion), problems with the gastrointestinal tract (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea).

Products that are forbidden for those who suffer from the egg allergy

Unfortunately, allergy to eggs cannot be treated. You can only remove them from your ration, as well as products included eggs in a receipt. Candidates for removing: mayonnaise, tartar sauce, baking mixes, ice cream, cereals, wafers, soufflé, pasta, spaghetti, pasta, flour, sausages, and meatloaf. Pay attention to the label and remember ingredients contained in eggs: albumin, lysozyme, coagulant, thickener, emulsifier, vitellin, globulin and others.

Sometimes such an allergy also entails an allergy to chicken meat and eggs of other birds. This phenomenon is called cross-allergy.

People who are allergic to eggs cannot be vaccinated against influenza, typhus, tick-borne encephalitis. The fact is that inoculations are grown on chick embryos so that they can be dangerous for people with an egg allergy.

What is allowed to eat?

An egg protein can be replaced with vegetable or animal protein, for example, meat or legumes.
The baking mixture can be replaced with soy flour, cornstarch mixed with water.
Quail eggs are an excellent alternative. They are not allergic, and they are more nutritious than chicken.
Different types of cookies can be a popular alternative to cakes made without the use of milk and eggs.
Good alternative desserts can be berries and fruits.
Most types of chocolate sauces and jellies do not contain egg products.

Persons who sufferers from an egg allergy need to be careful with consumed food because even a small number of eggs in a product can cause at an easy stage just an itch or even indigestion.

Symptoms of a nut allergy

All nuts contain powerful allergens. At mid-latitudes a nut allergy is usually caused by hazelnuts (the first signs are the itching of the palate or bloating in the oral area). In the USA an allergy to peanuts ranks first in prevalence because Americans use them in large quantities.

Allergens contained in nuts are resistant to high temperatures, but sometimes the symptoms start only when raw nuts are used.

Cross-reactions

Сross-reactions often occur on plants of the Rosaceae family, which also include many varieties of fruits. Children suffering from the allergy to nuts react not only to hazel pollen but also to pollen from plants of the birch family. They also can develop intolerance to nuts in general, and then it comes to “allergy to all kinds of nuts.”

If you are allergic to one type of nuts, it is best to avoid all other types of nuts. It is a rare situation when eating nuts do not cause a reaction. A person who suffers from an allergy to almonds, a plant of the Rosaceae family, should carefully use a marzipan substitute made from apricot grains.

Important nutrient materials

Nuts contain, along with protein and carbohydrates, a high percentage of fats (about 35-65%), and a lot of essential fatty acids in particular, as well as a large number of fat-soluble vitamins (especially vitamin E). Another essential food substance is lecithin; some varieties contain a large amount of calcium.

Replacement products

A nut-free diet doesn`t provoke any health problem because valuable vegetable oils contain many of the important fats. A lot of lecithins contains in egg yolks and in soybeans and in sprouted grains of wheat.
Unfortunately, when cooking or baking it is not always possible to add nuts, which are excellent flavors. But you can replace nuts with flax seeds or oat flakes, which are fried in fat.

Symphtomes

Main symptoms of citrus allergy are relatively light and quite typical for most food allergies. An allergic reaction often begins with a cold or the appearance of a rash on the skin. A tingling on the lips or tongue may also occur. An allergy to citrus can cause hoarseness and a “prickly” feeling in the throat. The reaction can also affect the respiratory system, leading to wheezing and coughing. In some cases, an allergy to citrus causes changes in the gastrointestinal tract, which manifest themselves in nausea, abdominal pain or in the stomach, vomiting, and diarrhea. The cause of allergy to citrus is the inadequate response of the body to the product and the production of histamine. An allergy may eventually pass, but there is no treatment for it. The only way to get rid of the symptoms is to avoid the citrus fruits and food made of them.

Anaphylaxis

For most people, an allergy to citrus fruits can lead to the minor symptoms, which are rather inconveniences and don’t provoke a need to call an ambulance. Severe allergic reactions, however, can cause anaphylaxis. An anaphylactic shock is a dangerous problem, in which several parts of the body are affected by severe allergic symptoms. An anaphylactic shock can affect the gastrointestinal tract, heart, lungs, blood vessels and even the skin. A blood pressure may drop sharply; the tongue swells, the respiratory tract narrows. This leads to the fact that oxygen is poorly distributed throughout the body. An anaphylactic shock is a life-threatening condition that requires an immediate medical attention. The time when symptoms appear depends on the individual characteristics of a patient and can vary from a few seconds to several hours. That is because different immune systems require a different reaction time. But in general, anaphylaxis occurs almost immediately. It is a very strong and fast immune response.

It is clear why an allergy develops. The protein that is included in the composition of cocoa or chemical compounds that are used in the processing of this product cause it. An allergic reaction can also be triggered by other food that contains cocoa even in small proportions. That is why if you suspect that you are sensitive to this drink, you should exclude cocoa and chocolate from your ration.

Some may ask – why I can not eat chocolate? The answer is simple. Cocoa – is a basis of each chocolate. There is 50% of cocoa in bitter chocolate, in the black one – about 40%, and in milk chocolate – 35-40%.

Now let`s figure out which cocoa ingredients can trigger an allergic reaction.

The chemical composition of cocoa:

• 54,0% of fats;
• 11.5% of proteins;
• 9.0% of cellulose;
• 7.5% of starch and polysaccharides;
• 6.0% of tannins;
• 5.0% of water;
• 2.6% of mineral substances and salts;
• 2.0% of organic acids and flavors;
• 1.0% of saccharides;
• 0.2%of caffeine.

There is a fact that can assure you not to eat chocolate at all. Did know that cocoa beans are usually inhabited by cockroaches, because cocoa beans are considered to be their favorite and main food. And all the gathered cocoa beans, as a rule, are processed together with the same inhabitants-cockroaches, because it is physically impossible to completely clear beans from them.

It explains the presence of such a common allergy to chocolate and cocoa products. It is because of chitin. A cockroach shell is a highly allergenic element. Chitin is absolutely insoluble in water, very resistant to various dilute acids, alcohol, alkalis and other organic solvents.

For example, in Thailand, where the cockroaches are cooked daily, they remove the shell in advance, to avoid any allergic reactions to this chitin.

So try to choose the right quality chocolate, if you still want to eat it. Otherwise, there is a chance to get a food allergy.

Seafood allergy: causes

Seafood is very rich in protein. But it is the foreign protein that our immune system does not appreciate.

Allergens in the composition of seafood are quite a lot, but the most active of them are:

• protein tropomyosin;
• arginine kinase;
• protein parvalbumin and its derivatives (the main allergen of marine fish).

Allergenic proteins in all sea mollusks (oysters, squids, mussels, octopuses) and crustaceans (shrimps, crabs, crabs, lobsters) are very similar. Therefore, according to statistics, approximately 75% of patients are allergic to several types of seafood, including sea fish.

Symptoms of seafood allergies

The allergy to seafood is evident by gastrointestinal and skin symptoms. Usually, there are such symptoms: itching and swelling of the mouth, numbness of the tongue or palate, dermatitis around the mouth. The patient is disturbed by colicky pains in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. There are rashes, redness, itching, sometimes angioedema on the skin.

Respiratory symptoms (a runny nose, sneezing, stuffy nose) with allergies to seafood are much less likely to be. There is a probability of occurrence of severe allergic reactions to the seafood up to an anaphylactic shock.

The diagnostics

Usually, it is not difficult to diagnose an allergy. We usually don’t eat seafood every day, so it is simply to figure out the connection between eating it and the symptoms of allergy. To confirm the diagnosis you can take skin tests or a blood test for allergens.

The prevention and the treatment of a seafood allergy

The first and most important rule in the treatment of seafood allergies is to completely eliminate contact with allergens – stop eating seafood. It is also appreciated to exclude from the ration marine fish, primarily red.
An allergic reaction can occur even from the smell of fish. Extremely sensitive people suffer from it. They need to stay away from the fish shelves of shops and from the kitchens where seafood is prepared. Also, allergenic proteins of fish and seafood are resistant to high temperatures, so long high-temperature cooking does not decrease the allergenicity of these products.

Food additives are classified according to the purposes of their use and denoted by the letter E:

• Е100 – Е180 – dyes: added to make food look attractive;
• Е200 – Е297 – preservatives: added to prevent bacterial growth and prolongation of shelf life;
• Е300 – Е321 – antioxidants: added to prevent oxidation under the influence of oxygen;
• Е322 – Е495 – emulsifiers and stabilizers: added to improve the texture of food;
• Е62О – Е635 – odor enhancers: added to enhance the smell of food.
• food flavors are not indicated by the letter E and do not have names. It is indicated that the product contains flavors on the packing.

Many food additives have been used long in cooking. It is salt, for example. The prefix E means that the European Union consider that the substance is safe to eat. However, it does not guarantee that it will not cause an allergy reaction when eating.

But also it is worth remembering that only some of these substances can cause an allergy to food additives or food intolerance. Often allergies are caused by dyes and preservatives. The most interesting dyes are: tartrazine (E102) and amaranth (E123), which can cause seizures of bronchial asthma and provoke hyperactivity.

Sodium bisulfite (E222), a preservative, can cause allergy to food additives. It is an antioxidant, which is used to preserve the freshness of vegetables and fruits in salads, it is also included to dried foods, soft drinks, wine, canned food, sauces, soups in the package. Sodium bisulfite provokes bronchial asthma.

It is believed that other preservatives, for example, benzoates (E210-E219), can induce bronchial asthma and hives; and potassium nitrate (E252) causes hyperactivity and skin damage.

It is believed that reactions to food additives, in general, are very rare, but people suffering from bronchial asthma should avoid the use of tartrazine and sodium bisulphite.

The reasons for such a complex interaction of milk protein with the immune system may be different. In most cases, this is a heredity, less often – immune shifts, as for children, it is the immaturity of the digestive system and the result of excessive use of dairy products by the mother during the pregnancy.

The diet in case of allergy to a milk protein

At first, a person with allergy symptoms should exclude the product from his ration.

If relatives of breastfeeding woman suffered from a milk protein intolerance, and it is better to exclude milk for a lactation period – even if she does not have this kind of allergy.

A substitution of cow’s milk products for anything else does not eliminate the symptoms because allergenic proteins are contained in virtually all of its forms.
Nutritionists recommend to write a food diary in which you should indicate what you eat and drink all the day, and note reactions to certain foods.

When writing a diary, it makes sense to keep a special hypoallergenic diet, which is based on:

• Vegetable, fish and chicken broths.
• Meat
• Eggs.
• Nuts.
• Beans.
• Porridge on water without butter.
• Macaroni without butter.
• Water.
• Weak tea.
• Vegetables and vegetable juices.
• Fruit and fruit juices.

How to substitute milk and dairy products in the diet with health benefits?

A cow’s milk without a risk to health can be substituted only on the milk of vegetable origin:
Soy.
Coconut.
Rice.
Oatmeal.
On their basis, you can prepare different dishes. For example, from a soy milk, you can make cottage cheese, cheese or yogurt.

How to cure of an allergy on dairy products?

At first, you need to abandon the products that can cause it. There is a list:

• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Pudding
• Nougat
• Butter
• Cheese
• Whey and some other products

Also, milk protein can be contained in chocolate, flour, margarine and brown sugar.

How to substitute these products will tell you the doctor. For example, sometimes for the preparation of a specific dish, instead of milk, you can use plain water, juice or liquids containing vegetable protein.

And do not self-medicate! Only the doctor can prescribe the right diet and pick up medicines.

A food allergy is a reaction of the body to a specific food as if it is a harmful substance. Both children and adults suffer from food allergies. But, the child’s allergy to a product can pass with age, and the adult allergy, unfortunately, remains.

Products which usually cause a food allergy:

• eggs;
• Nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, etc.);
• a fish;
• citrus fruits (oranges, tangerines, etc.);
• berries (strawberries, strawberries, etc.);
• chocolate;
• milk;
• Beans (soy, beans, peas, etc.).
• Nutritional supplements.

Allergens, which are contained in many products, can be similar to pollen allergens. It is called a cross-allergy. Wormwood pollen, for example, is a cross-allergen for pepper, carrots, mustard, bananas, citrus. That means that a patient with the pollinosis can have a food allergy.

Symptoms of a food allergy:

• A puffiness of lips and tingling lips;
• the redness of the skin, rashes, itchy skin;
• a nasal congestion or a runny nose;
• Drowsiness, malaise;
• nausea, a vomiting, diarrhea;
• A shortness of breath and suffocation.
• A fast and violent reaction of the body to the food allergen is called anaphylaxis (an anaphylactic shock). Anaphylaxis occurs after 1-2 hours eating food allergen.

The tongue and the throat swell, it becomes difficult to breathe, a choking and a vomiting appear, blood pressure decreases, a person can lose of consciousness. If you notice such symptoms of anaphylactic shock, call an ambulance immediately!

The diagnosis of a food allergy

The doctor diagnose a food allergy after interviewing of the patient or his relatives, doing the examination and observing the laboratory test data.

Skin tests are carried out. A small amount of fluid that contains an allergen is applied to the skin, and a small injection or an incision is made. If the skin swells in the place where the injection was made, like after a mosquito bite, it indicates an allergic reaction. To determine substances that cause a food allergy blood tests are made.

The treatment of food allergies

The treatment of a food allergy is aimed at reducing the symptoms of an allergic reaction, removing the allergen from the body, restoring the intestinal microflora.

To recover from an allergy doctors prescribe antihistamines, and for severe allergies, glucocorticoid hormones.

The great importance of the successful treatment of food allergies is the rapid binding of the allergen and its removal from the body.

It is important to know!

In the future, the patient should avoid food that causes an allergic reaction;
If your child has a food allergy, be sure to inform the employees of the pre-school or the school;
take care of the child and put a special bracelet with the information about allergies on him;
if your child has already had an acute allergic reaction, you should always have a first aid kit with an antihistamine and an epinephrine. At the first sign of an acute reaction, it is necessary to give the child these medicines and call an ambulance.

Almost 90% of children under one year, 74% of children under three years old and, on average, nearly 42% of adults have a hypersensitivity to particular kind of food. However, not always the increased sensitivity to a specific food is associated with a real allergy. It can be related to a lot of other problems – enzyme deficiency, disorders in the work of the gastrointestinal tract, diseases of the immune system, inflammatory diseases of the liver, intestines, pancreas and a lot of others.

There are reliable ways to find out if you have an allergy or a food intolerance.

The oldest and most famous method is skin test: the doctor applies shallow scratches on the inner side of the forearm, then he drips on each scratch a solution of one or another allergen. After a few minutes, the doctor evaluates the reaction. If the scratch has not changed its appearance – there is no allergy. But if the skin around becomes reddened and swollen, it is an allergy.

The advantages of this method are rather high reliability and speed of the analysis.

Cons: in such a small area of ​​the skin it is impossible to “place” all “suspects.” And sometimes after the test, a severe allergic inflammation develops within 6-8 hours.

Two more tests – the enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) and the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) – are considered to be more modern. They allow us to identify not only the reaction of the organism to the components of food products (specific proteins of milk, meat, cereals) but also the intensity of this reaction itself. Today it is known that in addition to Quincke’s edema, urticaria, lacrimation, and others – there is a so-called “hidden allergy” that can appear quite unexpectedly – for example, manifest itself in diarrhea or excessive sweating.

A food allergy

If you found out that you have an allergy to particular food, you should entirely exclude this product from a ration at least for a year. There is a version that after the product-provoker stops to enter the body, the antibodies which were produced as a result of an allergic reaction will gradually come out of the blood. So “allergenicity” of the product will “wipe off” from memory, and a person will be able to re-insert it into the diet.

A food intolerance

But if the blood test shows a negative result for those products, it is most likely that it’s not a matter of allergy, but intolerance or the inability to assimilate some components of the product. Usually, the cause of this is an enzymatic deficiency, which can appear because of heredity, race or nationality or the region of residence. Less often it appears because of chronic and autoimmune diseases (a vivid example is diabetes mellitus).

Fact 2. There is still no exact answer, why an atopic march appears
Doctors still do not understand why some children “outgrow” food allergy, and some don’t. It is known that the probability of occurrence of an atopic march increases if one of the parents (or both) suffered from some allergic disease in the childhood. The risk of developing an atopic march is reduced if thorough treatment and prevention of food allergy are carried out.

Fact 3. The basis of diagnosis of food allergy – food diary
At the same time as laboratory diagnostics, parents are usually recommended to keep a food diary and write down everything the child ate for the day, or everything that his mother ate (if the baby is breastfed). At the same time, parents should note health conditions of the child. After 7-14 days of analyzing, you can easily find the “culprit” of the allergy and remove it from the diet.

Fact 4. Mother of a child with a food allergy needs to keep breastfeeding as long as possible
The unique properties of breastmilk help the baby to cope faster with the disease. But a nursing mother has to maintain the appropriate hypoallergenic diet. It is necessary to remove all common allergens (milk, eggs, etc.), as well as citrus, chocolate, brightly colored fruits and vegetables. A strict hypoallergenic diet should be observed until the child’s condition improves. After that, the “forbidden” products can be returned to a ration.

Symptoms and characteristics

An allergy to meat is a rare phenomenon because almost all potentially allergenic animal proteins in meat become non-hazardous after heat treatment. Therefore, only raw foodists and those who eat such dishes like “Tartar” (raw minced meat with seasonings and egg) predominately, suffer from it.
As a rule, an allergy to pork, chicken and horse meat is more common than allergy to beef and lamb, and especially to rabbit meat. Everything depends on the amount of protein in the meat of different animals. Main allergens in meat are serum albumin (protein) and gamma globulin. If a person has an allergy to these allergens, it can provoke a disruption of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, occur rashes and itching, allergic rhinitis (rhinitis) and even attacks of suffocation (anaphylaxis). American scientists have proven that the cause of sudden attacks of anaphylaxis can be the substance called alpha-galactose that is contained in the meat. Anaphylaxis can exist in all mammals, but only in a human body antibodies can be produced. And the interaction of these antibodies with alpha-galactose can occur a strong allergy. And such a reaction can manifest quite unexpectedly and even not immediately after a meal, but after 5-6 hours.

Alternatives to meat

If you find out that you are allergic to meat, you need to understand what kind of allergy it is. It can be an allergy to animal protein or eggs. If you are allergic to animal protein, then the best diet for you is vegetarianism. And, if you do not refuse meat on personal beliefs, then you can try a sand-vegetarianism (refusing to eat an animal meat, but accept to eat a fish meat). Protein is necessary for the body. If you do not eat the animal protein, you can replace it with vegetable. Legumes, soy, and dairy products consist of it. If you are allergic to milk, then most likely, that you also have an allergy to beef. It happens that an allergy to one product entails an allergy to “related” products. The most allergen-free meat has turkey, lean beef, veal, edged pork, rabbit, diet sausage and boiled tongue. So as you can see, there’s always a way in every situation. The food and cooking methods are so varied that you will not even notice that there is one less dish in your menu.