MENU

shellfish2Shellfish allergy is the top 2 most common food allergy in children and the top 1 most common food allergy in adults in the Philippines. Shellfishes include Mollusks such as clams, oysters, and mussels; and Crustaceans such as shrimp and crab. Shellfish allergy is due to our body’s abnormal immune reaction against shellfish proteins - mainly “tropomyosin” which is not destroyed by heat or cooking. Unlike egg and milk allergy, shellfish allergy may persist throughout life while some may develop tolerance at adulthood. Symptoms occur within minutes up to 8 hours from ingestion or inhalation of the allergen. Symptoms include the following:

● Oral symptoms: Mouth and throat itching, Lip swelling
● Skin: Urticaria or rashes, Swelling around the eyes, Redness
● Respiratory: Difficulty in breathing
● Anaphylaxis: lightheadedness, difficulty of breathing, wheezing, fast heartbeat and loss of consciousness

Diagnosing true shellfish allergy with your physician is important due to its possible life-threatening allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis. Diagnosis is also important because it can be mistaken for other adverse food reactions related to raw shellfish consumption.
Dietary management of shellfish allergy is through food avoidance. It is also important to know its “cross-reactivity” or the other related foods and substances that also trigger an allergic reaction if you have shellfish allergy.

Foods to avoid if you have shellfish allergy (in order of decreasing risk of triggering an allergy):
● Shrimp (Suwahe, Hipon, Hibi)
● Crab
● Lobster
● Clam
● Oyster (Talaba)
● Mussels (Tahong)


Cross-reactive agents that may trigger an allergic reaction if you have shellfish allergy:
● Crustaceans
● House Dust Mite - commonly inhaled
● Cockroach
● Mollusks: Clams, Oyster, Mussels

/AET

References:

Hill, D. J., Hosking, C. S., Zhie, C. Y., Leung, R., Baratwidjaja, K., Iikura, Y., ... & Hsieh, K. H. (1997). The frequency of food allergy in Australia and Asia. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 4(1-2), 101-110.

Abong, J. M., Kwong, S. L., Alava, H. D. A., Castor, M. A. R., & De Leon, J. C. (2012). Prevalence of allergic rhinitis in Filipino adults based on the National Nutrition and Health Survey 2008. Asia Pacific Allergy, 2(2), 129-135.

Xu, L., Cai, J., Gao, T., & Ma, A. (2021). Shellfish consumption and health: A comprehensive review of human studies and recommendations for enhanced public policy. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 1-13.

Wai, C. Y., Leung, N. Y., Chu, K. H., Leung, P. S., Leung, A. S., Wong, G. W., & Leung, T. F. (2020). Overcoming shellfish allergy: How far have we come?. International journal of molecular sciences, 21(6), 2234.

Wong, L., Tham, E. H., & Lee, B. W. (2019). An update on shellfish allergy. Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology, 19(3), 236-242.