How long does it take to get an allergic reaction to a certain food?!
Question: A few yrs. ago, I went to eat @ a Chinese buffet restaurant, & I ate mussells. I broke out into hives about 2 hrs. later. & my mom said I'm allergic to mussells. Well, I had some today & nothing happened yet. It's been 4 hrs.
My brother is allergic to shrimp, & he said that usually you have a reaction IMMEDIATELY.
So you think something else caused the hives a few yrs. ago?
Answers: A few yrs. ago, I went to eat @ a Chinese buffet restaurant, & I ate mussells. I broke out into hives about 2 hrs. later. & my mom said I'm allergic to mussells. Well, I had some today & nothing happened yet. It's been 4 hrs.
My brother is allergic to shrimp, & he said that usually you have a reaction IMMEDIATELY.
So you think something else caused the hives a few yrs. ago?
The amount of time for an allergy depends on the amount of time for the allergin to get processed by your immune system. You have immune cells (cells that recognize foreign entities in your body) in your throat therefore if you have high sensitivity (allergic) to a specific allergin you will feel a tingling sensation in your throat. However, if the allergin bypasses your throat, then the allergin has to be absorbed into your blood stream which can be as fast as 20 minutes. Once the allergin gets into your blood stream, thats when your entire body begins to swell and you develop hives. The systemic effect (entire body) is due to a convulated signalling cascade of chemicals all "blowing" up simultaneously which includes prostaglandins and the biggest killer, Histamine. Histamine causes all the problems associated with an anaphylacic shock. Just note, allergies is a very quick process.
The breakout in hives you experienced could be something external or due to something else. There are immune cells on your skin as well.
Lastly, I want to give credit to the last comment. Allergy sensitivity can actually be developed over time but not in an accumulated fashion like he mentions. If you want more details, email me. Hope this helps.
It may have been a spice that you reacted to before. If youa re allergic to something, it doesn't tend to go away. Yet, you can develope allergies at any given time in your life.
You may have been allergic to something besides the mussels, so they didn't bother you this time. Allergic reactions can happen almost immediately or several hours later which can make it difficult to figure out what the real allergy is.
have your parents schedule an appointment with your brother's allergist. it is important for you to know the answers. in the meantime, make sure you have benedryl handy for yourself, too.
From 1 seconds to several days. Sometimes it is cumulative. You can be repetitive exposed to small amounts that would not individually cause a reaction and the have a major reaction.
I have a food allergy (walnuts, no other kind of nut, just walnuts), and I can't tell right away, but within a minute or two I definately can tell.