Tuna poisoning: Causes, signs

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Do Van Manh - Emergency Medicine Doctor - Emergency Resuscitation Department - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Tuna is a popular food in Vietnam thanks to its high nutritional content, rich in mineral salts, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin D, phosphorus, and low fat, so it is very popular. However, in a few cases poisoning from eating tuna can occur and be the cause of mass poisoning cases.

In fact, tuna is not a poisonous fish, but tuna contains high levels of free Histidine. When the fish is alive, some bacteria will produce Decarboxylase enzyme, which converts histamine in fish meat (in gills, fish intestines) and is not harmful to fish. However, if consumers buy rotten tuna, leave it for a long time and begin to spoil, then the protective barrier of the fish cannot inhibit microorganisms and organisms from growing and spreading to the meat of the produce fish. Produces histamine-producing metabolites in fish. This is the main cause of people getting food poisoning.
Histamine is a substance capable of causing severe allergies to users such as edema, headache, vomiting, itchy red skin or diarrhea, dizziness, heart palpitations, even death if not treated promptly. time. In addition, the formation of histamine in tuna also takes place very quickly, stable histamine is not destroyed through freezing, cooking, smoking, pasteurization or canning, so it can be toxic to users. .

Manifestations of poisoning by patients eating tuna usually appear after 20-30 minutes with symptoms such as:
Dizziness, flushing, headache Dry mouth, hot throat Nausea, vomiting Abdominal pain, diarrhea Rash, urticaria is the most common symptom, sunburn-like rash areas with clearly demarcated borders. The rash usually appears on the upper body, such as the chest, shoulders, neck, arms, and face. In more severe cases, bronchospasm, respiratory failure and hypotension (vasodilator shock) may occur.

Most cases of tuna poisoning are mild and only cases of diarrhea and vomiting lead to a drop in blood pressure due to dehydration. At a mild level, the patient only has a red, itchy skin and needs to go to medical facilities for antihistamine treatment to be cured after 2-3 days.
SEE ALSO: Pregnant women after eating tuna have abdominal pain, what to do?
In case of severe poisoning, the patient may experience nausea, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, drop in blood pressure and require hospitalization for drug treatment as well as intravenous fluids to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. lost through vomiting, diarrhea.
Tuna poisoning can be prevented by the following measures:
Should buy tuna in supermarkets, where the fish is well preserved, not stinky and deformed If buying fish in the market, you need to choose places that sell cryopreservation (temperature below 4.4°C) or store with ice (cover the fish), choose salted fish, fish slices when cut with fresh blood For patients with pre-existing allergies If you are allergic to these foods, you should absolutely not eat tuna because the following allergies may be more severe than the first. Tuna is a nutritious fish, but it is easy to cause food poisoning. Therefore, to ensure health, you should choose to buy fresh fish with good cold storage facilities. If you have a history of allergies, you should not continue to use this fish.