Allergic to lamb? Is that a thing?

[Anaamika]

@Qadgop_the_Mercotan

Decidedly untrue. 6% of infants and 3% of adults have legitimate, IgE-mediated food allergies. Not rare at all.

Tree nuts, peanuts, fish, and shellfish are the most common allergens. Throw in milk, egg, soy, and wheat, and you have the vast majority of food allergies falling into one of those categories.

Only 3%? That still seems really low, and I am one of those who has shellfish allergies!

[kenobi_65]

@bengangmo

I’m very curious though - how do you get to that age never having taken lamb? Is it really that rare of a dish in the US?

I was raised in the Midwestern U.S., German and Irish background, with a mom who wasn’t an adventurous cook. I’m 51, and I’ve never had lamb, save for gyros and / or shawarma, which might have been made with lamb (among other meats). You might see lamb chops on a restaurant menu occasionally (especially if it’s a Greek-owned restaurant), but it’s a rare sight.

[Broomstick]

@Anaamika

Only 3%? That still seems really low, and I am one of those who has shellfish allergies!

3% of the US is what, 3 million people? Even if the percentage is small the absolute numbers are large.

I also think that’s diagnosed food allergies. Although there are a lot of people who think they’re allergic and aren’t there are also undoubtedly people who are allergic and don’t realize it.

[spamforbrains]

Decidedly untrue. 6% of infants and 3% of adults have legitimate, IgE-mediated food allergies. Not rare at all.

You don’t consider those rates to be rare? I do.

[Qadgop_the_Mercotan]

@spamforbrains

You don’t consider those rates to be rare? I do.

You’re not in medicine, are you? Rare is not something affecting over 3 million adults nationwide, nor 3% of my practice population, nor 6% of all infants. That counts as common.

A disease or disorder is defined as rare in the USA when it affects fewer than 200,000 Americans at any given time. Usually a rare condition is a condition a physician may only ever hear about, or perhaps encounter once in their career.

[muldoonthief]

@spamforbrains

You don’t consider those rates to be rare? I do.

6% is 1 in 16, 3% is 1 in 33. So you almost certainly encounter someone with food allergies every day of your life. Is that rare?

Oh, and there are 240 million adults in the USA, so more like 7 million adults have food allergies.

[Anaamika]

@Broomstick

3% of the US is what, 3 million people? Even if the percentage is small the absolute numbers are large.

I also think that’s diagnosed food allergies. Although there are a lot of people who think they’re allergic and aren’t there are also undoubtedly people who are allergic and don’t realize it.

I just mean I know lots and lots of people who have food allergies. Some of them I know are diagnosed, because they go to my allergy center (there is like, one major allergy center here in Albany; most people go there).

But you’re probably right about it being diagnosed. I bet a lot of people are mildly allergic to stuff and just never bother to get it checked out.

[BeeGee]

I’m not allergic to lamb, but the taste of lamb is somewhat rotten and gamey to me. It doesn’t cause me allergic reactions, but the few times I had it… well, it didn’t stay inside me long. And I worked in a Greek restaurant! To me, lamb is far too greasy and rich. I don’t like dark poultry or fatty cuts of beef or pork, either. Egg whites are fine. Egg yolks create a bathroom nightmare. Pate? No, way! I have no problems with lean meats or white poultry.

[GrumpyBunny]

@MoonMoon

You want an allergist, not a dermatologist. She needs to be tested.

Seconded. A dermatologist will say, “Yup, hives. Here is some cream and antihistamines (and maybe steroid pills).”. An allergist will say, “Yup hives. Let’s test you to find out what’s going on, and here is some cream, antihistamines, and steroid tablets.”