2026/09/30 11:11
Wang Zheren, director of the emergency room of Fengyuan Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, reminded the public that if symptoms such as flushing, palpitations, and rashes occur within a short period of time after eating fish, they should be more vigilant. If they are accompanied by respiratory discomfort, chest tightness, or a drop in blood pressure, they should seek medical treatment as soon as possible. (The picture is not related to the person involved)
(Provided by Fengyuan Hospital)
[Reporter Ou Sumei/Taichung Report] A 50-year-old man recently ate a whole mackerel during a Mid-Autumn Festival barbecue with his family. Within an hour, he suddenly developed symptoms such as flushing of the face and upper body, headache, palpitations, and skin rashes. The family thought it was just the flushing caused by alcohol after drinking beer. Unexpectedly, the symptoms continued to worsen, and they rushed to the emergency department of Fengyuan Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It turned out that the mackerel was improperly stored and formed a large amount of histamine. Even if it was roasted, it would be useless, leading to "histamine poisoning." It was improved after taking medication.
Wang Zheren, director of the emergency room of Fengyuan Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that fish such as mackerel, tuna, and bonito contain high amounts of histamine. If they are not properly stored at low temperatures before being caught, transported, or cooked, bacteria in the fish may convert histamine into large amounts of histamine. Symptoms such as blushing, headache, palpitations, rashes, itching, nausea, abdominal pain, or diarrhea often occur within a short period of time after eating, and the appearance looks very much like a general food allergy.
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Wang Zheren pointed out that histamine poisoning is not equivalent to being allergic to fish, but a large amount of histamine has been formed in fish meat after eating it; if many people at the same table develop similar symptoms one after another after eating the same fish, they should also be vigilant.
Wang Zheren said that people often ask, "Why is there still a problem when the fish is already cooked?" In fact, the key is that a large amount of histamine has been formed in fish meat during improper storage. Even if it is baked or cooked later, it cannot be effectively removed. Therefore, "baked fish" cannot replace proper refrigeration before cooking. In addition, some fish meat with elevated histamine content may not have obvious abnormalities in appearance or smell, and it is not possible to judge whether it is safe by smell or color alone.
Wang Zheren pointed out that histamine poisoning usually occurs quickly. If people suddenly experience blushing, palpitations, headaches, itching or rashes within a short period of time after eating fish, do not just treat it as a blush due to drinking or a general seafood allergy. If accompanied by respiratory discomfort, chest tightness, drop in blood pressure, etc., they should seek medical treatment as soon as possible and proactively inform the doctor of the fish eaten and the time of onset. In addition, in terms of prevention, the focus is on continuing to store fish at low temperatures from the time it is obtained to before cooking to reduce the risk of histamine formation.
Wang Zheren, director of the emergency room of Fengyuan Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, pointed out that if fish is stored improperly, it may produce a large amount of histamine, which cannot be effectively removed even if it is subsequently grilled. (Provided by Fengyuan Hospital)
