The memory of my mother having an allergic reaction to some shell fish will be forever burned into my brain. I was about six years old and we had just finished a dinner of take our Chinese food. My mother and father had shrimp fried rice with their meal. About 90 minutes later, my mother was doubled over with severe stomach pain. The next thing I knew, my dad called a neighbor to come stay at the house with me and he rushed my mother to the emergency room. The look of panic in my father's eyes and the site of my mother suffering from such gastrointestinal discomfort was very traumatic for me. Even now in adulthood, because of that incident, I will not eat shell fish. I do not know if I am allergic or not, but I won't even tempt fate.

According to "ConsumerReports.org" June 2005, 6.6 million Americans have some type of allergy to shellfish The article goes on to state, "Seafood lovers beware: Allergies to fish or shell fish, unlike most other food allergies, typically develop without warning, often as full-blown, potentially life-threatening reactions in adults who've never had any such allergies before." When I read this article, I was dumbfounded. Even as a nurse, I never gave much thought to people developing these types of allergies in adulthood. When I think of adult allergy sufferers, I think of the person who discovered as a child that they were allergic to something and grew up adapting their life styles accordingly.

The article also brings out another important point about shellfish allergies. Reading further, I also found information from a study conducted by researchers at Mount Sinai school of medicine in New York in partnership with the nonprofit Food Allergy Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) . The focus of this study was specifically on adults and children who suffered from a sea food allergy. 15,000 participants in all were studied. It was found that 16% of the group suffered an adverse reaction to sea food and had to receive epinephrine in a medical setting for it, but less than 10% were given a prescription for an Epi-Pen to use in case of another emergency. An Epi-Pen is a pre- set doses of epinephrine in a syringe that can be used in case of an allergic reaction that causes shock or an interruption in the ability to breath.

Although my mother suffered a harsh gastrointestinal reaction to the sea food, not everyone who has a seafood allergy suffers the same consequence. The allergic reaction to sea food can

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Symptoms of shellfish allergy?
We want to hear your view. Write now!