Manifestations of allergic reactions to food are common to many. Various types of fish, sea delicacies, caviar are foods that often contribute to the occurrence of unpleasant symptoms. Allergies, as a rule, begin to disturb a person in childhood.
Causes of pathology
There is an allergy to fish in both a child and an adult. However, it happens that in childhood the disease did not bother a person, but manifested itself for the first time when he tried an unfamiliar dish that contains seafood. Allergy to fish is characterized by the occurrence of many different symptoms, and they are sometimes so serious that the patient needs urgent consultation with a specialist.
Why does this disease occur?
Allergy to fish in a child and in an adult can be triggered by the following reasons:
- The presence of a special protein in this product, which is perceived by the body of many people as a harmful substance. As a result, allergic reactions occur. This component, which is part of the fish, is not destroyed either by cooling or by cooking.
- The presence of chemicals in marine delicacies,that get into them from polluted water. Supplements fed to farmed fish can also cause allergic reactions.
- When seafood is left in refrigerators or on shelves for a long time, toxic substances accumulate in them. Toxins persist even in s alty and smoked foods and lead to allergic reactions.
- Microorganisms and helminths that live in the intestines of fish have a harmful effect on the body.
Which seafood delicacies are the most allergenic?
Intolerance to any product, as a rule, does not appear suddenly. A fish allergy in a child usually makes itself felt at an early age. When a foreign protein enters the body, the immune system begins to produce special cells.
This process is accompanied by symptoms, many of which are quite serious. Fortunately, knowing how a child's fish allergy manifests itself can help prevent its occurrence. To do this, it is necessary first of all to exclude the contact of the patient with the product that causes intolerance.
Cases of fish allergy in children and adults are becoming more common every year. Experts have been studying this problem for a long time and finally figured out why this disease occurs. It was also possible to establish which types of seafood delicacies most often cause allergic reactions. Often, individual intolerance is provoked by the following products:
- Oil and cream with fish.
- Different types of shellfish.
- Crayfish, crabs, shrimp.
- Aromatic additives containing fish and seafood.
- Crab sticks.
- Caviar.
- Japanese food.
- Eel.
- Most species of marine fish.
As a rule, individual intolerance occurs in people living near the sea, where such dishes are often eaten. It should be borne in mind that, having arisen in childhood, an allergy usually accompanies a person throughout his life. At the same time, as a rule, certain varieties cause a negative reaction of the body, while others are well tolerated. Often there is an allergy to red fish in a child. Therefore, doctors do not recommend giving these varieties to children.
Types of allergic reactions
Allergy to fish, its symptoms in children appear in the following circumstances:
- If a child eats a product that causes an individual intolerance.
- When he touches an allergic food.
- If a child inhales molecules of a substance that causes individual intolerance.
Sometimes allergy symptoms appear even when the patient eats food fried in the same oil in which the allergenic dish was previously heated.
How to determine the presence of allergic reactions? First of all, they are characterized by symptoms that are immediately noticeable externally. On the manifestation of an allergy to fish in a child (photo of children with external signs of such a reaction of the bodypresented in the text below) is described in sections of the article.
Common signs
Intolerance to any product can make itself felt by the occurrence of a complex of symptoms. It affects the skin, and the respiratory tract, and eyes. There is a general weakness. A fish allergy in a child and an adult is characterized by the same set of common symptoms, for example:
- Appearance of blisters on the chest, upper legs, neck and abdomen.
- Itchy feeling.
- Irritation of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity during chewing and swallowing a small portion of seafood.
- Signs of poisoning: vomiting and diarrhea.
- High fever, headache.
If a person has such signs of allergy as an accelerated heart rate, pallor, low blood pressure, a feeling of weakness and loss of consciousness, this is anaphylactic shock. This condition requires immediate medical attention, as it can be fatal.
Allergy to fish in a child: manifestation
Any mother knows that fish and seafood play an important role in the development of a child's body. Such dishes must be included in the diet of the child, because they contain many useful substances. These vitamins and microelements contribute to the formation of immunity, harmonious development. However, given that fish allergies are common in very young children, parents need to be careful when adding fish to their child's diet.similar products.
How to recognize the presence of a disease? An allergy to fish in a child has the following manifestations:
- In infancy, eating a food that causes intolerance leads to swelling of the face, the formation of a rash on the skin in the form of blisters, and vomiting. These symptoms require immediate medical attention. As a rule, with such manifestations at an early age, the use of fish is strictly prohibited. The necessary substances that it contains, the child is recommended to receive from artificial supplements.
- In addition to rashes, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, fish intolerance in childhood is characterized by symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and runny nose. If signs of allergic edema appear (swelling of the face, rapid breathing, high fever and pallor), you should call an ambulance.
- Sometimes children have intolerance to food intended for aquarium fish. However, these bodily reactions may not be too severe and often disappear after seven to eight years.
Allergy to fish in children (photos of babies can discourage overly responsible mothers from feeding seafood with seafood) is a serious matter and requires careful study of the issue.
What should I pay attention to?
Signs of intolerance to any substance are different. It depends on how the patient interacted with the allergic component. The ingestion of fish into the gastrointestinal tract can provoke symptoms of poisoning, allergicswelling, skin rash. Tactile contact with raw seafood or inhalation of molecules during cooking often causes inflammation of the connective tissue of the eyes, an excruciating, hysterical cough, runny nose and high fever.
Approximately the same reactions occur in children with intolerance to fish food or interaction with water from the aquarium. This is due to the inhalation of substances that provoke these symptoms. It is not uncommon for a child to be allergic to red fish. Manifestations of intolerance can also occur when eating various types of caviar, mollusks and crustaceans.
It is highly discouraged to often give children smoked and s alted fish. First, it causes the most severe allergic reactions due to the presence of artificial additives in it. Secondly, such dishes have a negative effect on the child's digestive system and kidneys.
How to diagnose allergic reactions to fish in children?
You can determine the presence of intolerance to any products in a medical institution. The specialist will prescribe examinations that will determine whether the child is allergic to fish.
First of all, special diagnostic tests are carried out. They are called allergy tests. However, today more effective diagnostic methods are offered for children. These are laboratory blood tests.
If a child has signs of an allergy to fish and seafood, parents should remember which dish provoked negative reactions of the body. By defining this,you need to make sure that this food is excluded from the children's diet.
Therapy
When allergic reactions are detected, the most important thing is to stop using the product that provoked them. Particular attention should be paid to this condition in the event that food intolerance has manifested itself more than once.
Symptoms of a fish allergy in a child can be eliminated with antihistamines and medicines that relieve inflammation. If a negative reaction of the body is manifested by a runny nose or conjunctivitis, topical preparations (ointments, sprays, nasal drops, gels) should be used. In order to remove the substance that caused the allergy as quickly as possible, adsorbents are used. With allergic edema, it is necessary to inject synthetic hormones.
Complementary foods with added fish: precautions
Specialists in the treatment of childhood diseases advise following certain rules to protect the child from allergic reactions.
First of all, complementary foods with the addition of fish should be introduced into the diet gradually and only when the baby is eight months old. First give small portions of the product (1 teaspoon).
It is recommended to feed the baby with fish in the morning and monitor his condition during the day. If you feel unwell, you need urgent help from a specialist. A child suffering from dermatitis needs to introduce fish into the diet with extreme caution.
Parents of older children with intoleranceseafood, it is important to monitor what their child eats in catering establishments. You also need to carefully read the composition of products that are sold in stores. Allergy to red fish in a child is a fairly common occurrence. Doctors do not recommend giving these varieties to babies under one year old.
What kind of fish can children with allergies?
This issue is considered controversial. Knowing about the beneficial properties of fish, many mothers believe that this product should not be completely excluded from the diet. Unfortunately, intolerance to certain dishes can only be established empirically. It is known that red varieties of fish, caviar, shellfish and crustaceans are not recommended for children. However, cod, haddock, pollock, hake and herring are considered harmless and rarely cause allergies.
If any varieties are contraindicated for a child, you can replace this useful product with others. The essential substances found in fish are found in meat, buckwheat, nuts, mushrooms, vegetable oil, and beans. You can also give your child vitamin complexes.
Conclusions
Manifestations of allergy to fish is a pathology that is often found in both adults and children. The most common causes of intolerance are marine species. Seafood (shellfish, crustaceans) are also strong allergens. Substances that cause intolerance are not removed from food during the heat treatment process.
Allergies can occur not only as a result of eating fish or seafood, but also by inhaling their particles and tactile contact. To avoid unpleasant symptoms in a child,you need to carefully monitor his diet.
If children develop signs of allergic reactions, a doctor's consultation and therapy is necessary.
