Food

Shellfish Allergies and Symptoms

As a whole the world around eats a lot of shellfish. The majority of people will eat hundreds of pounds of shellfish in their lifetime in varying forms. This is the way it has been for hundreds of years and will most likely continue for the future.

The one issue that stands is the fact that for every person that eats a large quantity of shellfish there is another that is allergic to it. This is a sad state for the world when you consider that most of the people that have this severe and somewhat serious allergy would love to be able to eat shellfish on a daily basis.

Common Causes:

A shellfish allergy is something that most often the person is born with. There is not a lot of information available as to the cause because the medical community is just as confused as the rest of the world.

They have discovered that it involves the different chemical make ups of the shellfish themselves. They are different then the rest of the sea based lifeforms because of the way that they live.

At this time it is not believed that a person can become allergic to shellfish. They insist that the person has had the condition for their entire life, even though it may have been dormant for a period of time.

Common Symptoms:

The symptoms for the shellfish allergy are severe to say the least. In most cases a severe skin rash will develop within moments of the shellfish being eaten.
This can run for a long period of time and will need to be treated before it starts to spread to the internal parts of the body. If allowed to run unchecked then it can cause respiratory distress in a small number of people.

Swelling is also very common. Victims will notice that the eyes, hands and lips will swell when the shellfish has been eaten.
Passing out is also possible as well as loss of energy and extreme fatigue.

Cures and Treatments:

There is no cure for a shellfish allergy. There are studies that are being conducted that are hoping to make some kind of connection with the allergy and possible ways to teach the body to stop the reaction.

The most common treatment is steroids. This is normally administered in the form of a concentrated shot. This form of treatment is designed to stop the reaction from spreading and give the body the necessary weapons to fight off the allergy before it continues.

Other common treatments include a salve or ointment for the rash that can occur as well as an anti-itching agent that will aid in the comfort of the patient as well.
To avoid any further problems you should avoid all shellfish. This includes shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, and oysters.