Shellfish Allergy Symptoms and Avoidance
People with shellfish allergies must strictly avoiding shellfish as well as foods containing shellfish. Your doctor may be able to pinpoint exactly which type of shellfish causes your allergic reaction, but this is not typical. Rather, you can expect to have to avoid all types of shellfish.
Examples of shellfish include:
- Abalone
- Clams
- Cockle
- Crabs
- Crayfish, crawfish
- Lobster
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Sea urchin
- Scallops
- Shrimp
Be especially careful with fried foods. Some restaurants use the same oil to prepare french fries or chicken that was just used for a batch of fried clams. Imitation shellfish often uses some real shellfish for flavroing, so carefully examine the food label before consuming it.
Shellfish allergy symptoms are similar to those of other food allergies, including: hives, nasal congestion, swelling, itching, shortness of breath, upset stomach, heartburn, gas, diarreha, light headedness and fainting.
An allergic reaction to shellfish will manifest itself within 2 hours after exposure, although a delay of up to 24 hours is possible. In addition to eating shellfish, you can also be exposed by cooking fumes, or simply handling shellfish.
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