Fish allergy

One type of food allergy is fish allergy, which is an allergy to a certain protein found in fish muscles. The allergenic protein is found in different concentrations in different types of fish, and some people with fish allergies can eat tuna as the least allergenic type, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

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Causes of Fish Allergy

Each allergy has its own history of the disease development, most often food allergies do not appear suddenly, but have precursors in the form of intolerance to certain products from early childhood. The most common causes of fish allergies are intolerance to fish muscle protein, intolerance to fragments of fish protein (allergy to caviar), intolerance to proteins - products of fish life activity (allergy to mucus, excrement). In response to the allergen, the body produces antibodies that attack the body's own proteins. Like other types of food allergies, allergies to fish and fish products are often an inherited feature, manifested in combination with allergies to other foods and are difficult to correct.

Symptoms of fish allergy

Like any allergy, symptoms of fish allergy appear after contact with the allergen. The most common are various dermatitis, followed by symptoms in the form of rhinitis and lacrimation, coughing fits and suffocation (asthma) are even less common, and food allergy causes Quincke's edema very rarely. The only accurate confirmation of the presence or absence of fish allergy can be tests and allergy tests, since fish allergy does not disappear when the product is cooked, and symptoms may differ upon contact with raw and cooked fish.

The speed of the body's allergic response depends on the state of the immune system and the volume of the allergen received. Many people are concerned about how an allergy to fish manifests itself and how dangerous it is? With a sufficient volume of the substance received (when the body has recognized the allergen), most often one should expect the appearance of a rash in the form of red plaques, the rash can cause itching, as a rule, rashes appear on the folds and on the face (where the skin is more sensitive and any damaging effects are more easily manifested). With prolonged intake of the allergen, a dry rash may degenerate into a wet rash, a secondary infection may join (any bacteria easily multiply in a moist, warm nutrient medium). If an allergy to fish manifests itself in the form of a cough, then the cough is dry, exhausting, straining, without an increase in body temperature. In the case of a "cough" type of reaction, one should take into account the possibility of a cough turning into an attack of suffocation and edema.

Among the cases of intolerance to fish products, an allergy to red fish and red caviar stands out. The problem with this type of protein intolerance is the special protein value (high protein, i.e. nutritional index of this product) and the presence of coloring pigments. Quite often, intolerance to red fish and red caviar is combined with an allergy to brightly colored products and an allergy to crustaceans, shrimp and mollusks. However, with this type of allergy, patients can hope for an improvement in their condition after a long abstinence from eating allergens and again begin eating fish dishes with river fish varieties. As a rule, this type of allergy does not manifest itself when eating white river fish.

Sometimes patients claim that they are allergic to aquarium fish. As a rule, such a statement hides an allergy to fish food and intolerance to decay products in aquarium water. Fish food, especially not factory-made, is practically dust of a large fraction of protein components, which are strong allergens even for an organism not prone to such reactions. In turn, aquarium water and aquarium filters contain decay products of the results of fish life, i.e. protein components. Allergy to aquarium fish can be attributed to contact household allergy and its prevention comes down to the use of granulated food and reducing contact with aquarium water.

It should be mentioned that allergy to salted and smoked fish is not particularly different from allergy to fish in general, since when salted and smoked, proteins do not lose their allergenic properties, and various food additives and dyes used in industrial production serve as additional factors for the immune response. When eating home-salted fish, you should beware of helminthiasis (in some cases, the manifestations of parasite infestation can coincide with allergies). Eating salted fish (as food or a snack) puts additional stress on the kidneys, heart and gastrointestinal tract, which can provoke chronic diseases, including serving as a provocateur of allergic manifestations.

During various heat treatments of fish, fish proteins may enter the environment, which in allergy sufferers may provoke allergic attacks in the form of suffocation, rhinitis (with or without sneezing), edema. The very sensation of smells by a person is associated with the entry of microparticles of a substance onto the mucous membrane of the nose, and after recognizing the smell, an image of the source of the smell appears in the mind. If a person has developed an allergy to the substance itself, then the entry of protein (microparticles of the substance) onto the mucous membrane will necessarily cause this reaction. Thus, an allergy to the smell of fish occurs as often as an allergy to fish, i.e. it is just one of the manifestations of this allergy.

Fish allergy in a child

Due to the overload of the modern environment with allergens, fish allergy in a child can manifest itself from the very first attempts at feeding fish products (i.e. there will be no accumulation period). Despite the ease of absorption and availability, fish allergy in children has the same property of aggravating symptoms as in adults. It should always be remembered that cooking fish does not reduce its allergenicity for a child, with an allergy to fish there is no “outgrow” effect, a small child does not always associate fish dishes (meatballs, soups) with the image of fish and the causes of an asthma attack or rash are difficult to identify, so parents should be extremely careful.

Fish Allergy Treatment

Treatment of any allergy, including fish allergy, consists of stopping the intake of the allergen, taking antihistamines, immunosuppressant therapy, and in severe cases, plasmapheresis and intensive care. It should be remembered that in the case of fish allergy, specific hyposensitization is always ineffective. Among antihistamines, the most common are claritin, loratadine, erius, zodak, and edem. Immunosuppressant drugs include corticosteroids. Calcium preparations (calcium chloride and calcium gluconate) have also shown good results in reducing the degree of immune involvement. Plasmapheresis and intensive care are performed in specialized institutions (usually in intensive care units).

Prevention of fish allergies

Oddly enough, if a person has an allergy to fish, theoretically there may be a fish that does not cause an allergy, but this statement is rarely confirmed in practice. However, the most common allergy is caused by colored sea fish with a pronounced odor, then, in order of decreasing allergic manifestations, comes uncolored sea fish with a weak odor, followed by river non-aromatic varieties. If a person has signs of an allergic reaction to sea fish, this may also indicate a possible allergy to the preservatives that were used to store the fish. If this is the case, then you should wait until the immune response to eating sea (ocean) fish has completely died down and try eating a small amount of boiled river fish without skin. Self-control and the presence of another person who can come to the rescue are very important in this experiment.

As with any disease, prevention of allergies to fish and seafood is extremely important with allergies. If it can be said that close relatives have definitely had or are having allergic reactions, then children are highly likely to be allergic. To reduce this probability, breastfeeding should be used as long as possible, complementary foods should be introduced as late as possible and complementary foods should be used as non-allergenic as possible. For adults, it should be taken into account that immune system provocations occur when several allergens are simultaneously exposed, especially undesirable is the combination of alcohol and tobacco smoke. With a balanced diet, allergy symptoms are less common, and light physical activity, yoga, and autogenic training also have a beneficial effect. The daily routine is extremely important.