IgE antibodies shrimp

IgE antibodies shrimp too high

A value above the cut-off means that you have IgE antibodies against shrimp: sensitization. That is not the same as an allergy: in one study in the Dutch medical specialists' guideline (FMS), more than half of the people without a shrimp allergy still tested positive. Shrimp contain the protein tropomyosin, which is also found in house dust mite, mealworms and mollusks; according to Stichting Voedselallergie, this causes cross-reactions with house dust mite and mealworms. According to the same foundation, 50 to 75 in 100 people with a shrimp allergy also react to mollusks, such as mussels, oysters, squid and snails. In case of doubt, an allergist can have antibodies against individual shrimp proteins measured. The level of the value says little about how severe a reaction would be.

IgE antibodies shrimp too low

A value below the cut-off means that no IgE antibodies against this allergen were found. An IgE-mediated allergy to this allergen is then much less likely, although it is not completely ruled out. Symptoms can also come from another allergen that was not tested, or have a non-allergic cause.

Useful for

Useful with a clear reaction after eating, touching or cooking shrimp or other crustaceans, such as itching and swelling in the mouth and throat, hives, vomiting or shortness of breath; symptoms usually start within an hour. In people with a house dust mite allergy who eat shrimp normally, the result can be positive due to cross-reaction without a shrimp allergy. In people who eat shrimp without symptoms, the test adds nothing.

How common is it?

According to Stichting Voedselallergie, about 1 in 100 people have an allergy to fish or crustaceans. Crustacean allergy is most common in adults and, after peanut and nuts, is the most common cause of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). Someone who has a crustacean allergy will probably not outgrow it.

Stichting Voedselallergie