Shellfish Allergy

A shellfish allergy is a type of food allergy. Shellfish are animals that live in the water and have a shell-like exterior. There are two types of shellfish:

Crustaceans: shrimp, crayfish, crab, lobster.
Mollusks: clams, scallops, oysters, mussels.

What fish is shellfish?

If you have a shellfish allergy, don’t eat these ingredients and foods:

Abalone.
Clams (such as cherrystone, littleneck, pismo, quahog).
Cockle.
Conch.
Crab.
Crawfish and crayfish.
Lobster.
Mollusks.
Mussels.
Octopus.
Oysters.
Scallops.
Shrimp and prawns.
Snails.
Squid (calamari).

Do all shellfish cause the same allergic reaction?

Often, if you have an allergy to one type of shellfish, you’ll have an allergy to other types. Crustaceans cause more allergic reactions than mollusks. But, just because you react one way to one type of shellfish doesn’t mean you’ll react the same way to every single type.

You might have a reaction after eating lobster, for example, but eat scallops without a problem. If you have symptoms after eating shellfish, talk with your healthcare provider before eating any other type of shellfish.

Is a shellfish allergy the same as shellfish intolerance?

An allergist can figure out if you’re allergic to shellfish or have an intolerance. The difference matters. While a food intolerance causes uncomfortable symptoms that mainly affect your stomach or digestive system, an allergy can affect your entire body and be life-threatening.

Who gets shellfish allergies?

Anyone can develop a shellfish allergy — even if you’ve had shellfish before without any problems. Although it can occur at any age, it appears more often in adults than in children. About 60% of people who have a shellfish allergy first get symptoms as an adult. The reason may be that children typically don’t eat shellfish. People often eat shellfish for the first time as adults, which may be why symptoms appear later in life.

How common is a shellfish allergy?

Approximately 2% of the U.S. population (around 6 million people) has a shellfish allergy.

Symptoms

When to see a doctor

Request an appointment

Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Freedmans Health Clinic Staff

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