Why does shellfish cause diarrhea

People who have serious symptoms, such as shortness of breath, wheezing, or swelling of the throat, and those with symptoms affecting two different body systems, such as hives and a stomachache, should immediately seek emergency care.

If they have a prescription for epinephrine, they should also administer this drug. It is still essential to seek emergency care after administering the epinephrine. Quite often, a second round of severe symptoms, which people call a biphasic reaction, will occur several hours later.

When someone with an allergy has exposure to the protein, the immune system goes into overdrive and tries to fight off the foreign invader. Part of this reaction involves the release of histamine, which is a chemical that causes the symptoms of the allergy. If a doctor suspects that a person may have a shellfish allergy, they are likely to refer them to an allergist for further diagnostic testing.

If these tests confirm the presence of an allergy, the only treatment is to avoid shellfish altogether. Doctors may prescribe people who have a serious allergy with an epinephrine auto-injector to carry with them. In the event of exposure or a serious reaction, every second counts.

Administering epinephrine at an early stage of the reaction can help prevent it from becoming worse and potentially deadly. There are no home remedies for a shellfish allergy, but being under the care of a doctor or seeking emergency care after exposure is essential.

However, people can often manage a shellfish allergy by learning how to read nutritional labels to avoid the allergen. While food producers must include an allergen statement on foods containing crustacean shellfish, the same is not true of mollusks. However, people can find this information in the ingredients list instead. When going out to eat, it is very important to let the host or restaurant staff know about a food allergy beforehand as there may be a potential risk of cross-contamination of food dishes or cooking materials.

Someone with a severe allergy may even need to stay away from the fumes or vapors that can come out of a kitchen where people are preparing shellfish dishes. People should not hesitate to let the waitstaff know if that is a potential trigger for an allergic reaction. I advise my pregnant patients to prevent Listeria infection by avoiding high-risk foods and following basic food safety guidelines. Read More. The best way to prevent food poisoning is to always know what you are eating.

The best way to always know what you are eating is to eat at home. You can better control food storage and preparation at home.

When dining out, be cautious of buffets. This includes amberjack, grouper, snapper, sturgeon, king mackerel, barracuda, and moray eel. Be especially careful when you eat fish such as tuna, sardines, mackerel, mahi-mahi, or anchovies. Most cases of food poisoning are mild and clear up in a few days. During that time, the goal is to prevent dehydration. Dehydration is the loss of fluids and electrolytes nutrients and minerals your body needs.

You should avoid solid foods and dairy products until the vomiting and diarrhea have passed. Once you are feeling better, ease into eating and drinking again. Try bland foods, such as crackers, toast, and bananas. Avoid spicy foods, fried foods, dairy, and foods that are high in fat and sugar. Drink plenty of fluids but avoid milk or caffeinated beverages. Also, sports drinks brand name: Gatorade, others are not meant to be used to treat diarrhea.

Ciguatera poisoning is treated with medicines that help ease your symptoms. There is no medicine that will cure ciguatera poisoning. The symptoms will go away on their own over time. Scombroid poisoning is treated using an antihistamine one brand: Benadryl. An antihistamine is a medicine that blocks the histamine in your blood. The symptoms of ciguatera poisoning can last for 1 to 2 weeks. Exactly how long they last will depend on the amount of poison you have in your body.

The symptoms can come back any time you eat an affected fish. The symptoms of scombroid poisoning usually last for 24 hours or less.

The symptoms can come back any time you eat fish that has not been refrigerated properly. Ciguatera and scombroid poisoning are rarely fatal.

To treat mild dehydration, try taking frequent sips of water. Clear soups, clear sodas, and juice mixed with water can also help. Avoid coffee, tea, dark sodas, and other caffeinated drinks. These drinks can make dehydration worse. An ORS contains the right mix of salt, sugar, potassium, and other nutrients to help replace lost body fluids. You can buy an ORS at most grocery stores and drugstores.

If your dehydration is severe, you may need to be treated in the hospital. There, doctors will give you intravenous through an IV fluids and electrolytes. It can be. Dehydration can be dangerous, and so can certain types of food poisoning. Food poisoning caused by the Listeria bacteria can be very dangerous for the unborn babies of pregnant women. The infection is usually very mild for the mother, but can cause miscarriage, premature labor, stillbirth and developmental problems in their babies.

People who have weakened immune systems are also at risk of developing complications from Listeria. Food poisoning caused by Escherichia coli E. All shellfish in BC must be inspected by federally registered shellfish processing plants before going to commercial market — this is part of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program CSSP , the federal monitoring and prevention program in Canada.

The CSSP classifies harvesting areas and controls the commercial and recreational harvesting and processing of shellfish for the consumer market. The CSSP is run by 3 federal government agencies 1 Environment Canada - responsible to monitor water quality in shellfish areas, 2 Canadian Food Inspection Agency - responsible for monitoring marine toxins in shellfish areas and for registering and inspecting shellfish processing plants, and, 3 Fisheries and Oceans Canada - responsible for opening and closing harvest areas, and prohibiting shellfish harvesting when bacteriological or toxin levels are unsafe.

More on Shellfish Contamination. All Rights Reserved. Steamed mussels have been associated with diarrhetic shellfish illnesses in BC. OR Detection of high levels of dinoflagellates Dinophysis spp. Probable Case Clinical illness [1] within 12 hours of consuming at risk shellfish [2].

If you experience hives, difficulty breathing, throat and mouth swelling, abdominal distress, dizziness, or anaphylaxis when consuming seafood, you most likely have a seafood allergy and need immediate medical attention.

Are there certain types of seafood that I could have issues with? For both seafood allergies and intolerance, you may have reactions to one class of seafood and not others. Fish and shellfish are two of the top 8 allergens and must be indicated on the food label except mollusks. That is helpful for someone trying to avoid seafood!

Here are some keywords to look for on the food label:. Remember: A seafood allergy is life-threatening and seafood should never be consumed. You should always consult your doctor or registered dietitian to determine your personal dietary needs, however, some people with seafood intolerance may be able to incorporate a small amount of seafood occasionally into their diet.

As you can see from above, a seafood allergy is very different than a seafood intolerance.