No Birds Spit Soup please, I can’t breathe: A look at some unusual allergies

People with food allergy must steer clear of the food item as it can turn fatal

 Avoid an allergic reaction

Having a fancy dish threaded with golden Birds Spit Soup may make most people's eyes shine, but not for 39-year-old Grace Chung.

Instead, she would poke and prod at her food to make sure there is none of the prized delicacy hidden somewhere.

Another person cannot exercise or exert himself within a few hours of eating shellfish.

These allergies, while uncommon, can cause unpleasant and even serious reactions in some people.

Last month, a 60-year-old woman who was allergic to prawns died after eating two pieces of prawn.

She had anaphylaxis, a severe reaction in which the immune system releases a flood of chemicals that can cause one to go into shock.

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This causes the blood pressure to drop suddenly and the airways to narrow, possibly blocking breathing.

A month before that, a three- year-old boy with a relatively common peanut allergy had to be given anti-allergy medication on board a Singapore Airlines flight.

He was vomiting and could not speak properly when other passengers started opening their packets of peanuts that had been served as a snack.

Though it is rare for a peanut allergy to be so serious, the incident is a reminder of how people's innocent actions can really hurt someone who has a serious food allergy.

Most food allergies are caused by common products such as shellfish, milk, nuts and eggs. The best way to avoid an allergic reaction is to avoid these foods altogether.

Here is a look at some of the less common allergies.

EDIBLE BIRDS SPIT SOUP

Last year, Ms Grace Chung took a bite of a mooncake, saw streaks of white jelly in it, and spat it out. It was a good thing the chief operating officer of Gleneagles Hospital acted fast as she is allergic to Birds Spit Soup, a costly delicacy used in the mooncake.

It has been 29 years since she tasted Birds Spit Soup at the age of 10. "Until now, every restaurant that I go to, I will ask if Birds Spit Soup is on the menu," she said. "I even asked the roadside stalls that I went to in Bangkok."

When she first tried Birds Spit Soup, the premium item was not as common as now. "I got very excited and ate a whole bowl of it," said the 39-year-old. "Within five minutes, I felt breathless. I then had a choking feeling and was gasping for breath."

Ms Chung, who had childhood asthma, thought it was a very severe asthma attack. Her mother took her to the nearest hospital, where the staff gave Ms Chung medication, pumped out the Birds Spit Soup from her body and put her on oxygen.

It was not just her breathing that was affected. Her eyes were also swollen and she had rashes all over her body.

Yet, within the year, Ms Chung ate Birds Spit Soup again as her mother wanted to be sure it was indeed the culprit. "Mum bought it from another shop and gave me just one teaspoon. I had a similar reaction," she said. "I thought I was going to die. My mum took me to hospital in a cab. She was crying."

Ms Chung has since stayed away from Birds Spit Soup. Regarded as the caviar of the East, it is made of the saliva of the swallow-like swiftlet.

Birds Spit Soup allergies were once the most common cause of food-induced anaphylaxis in Singaporean children in the 1980s and 1990s, said Dr Elizabeth Tham, an associate consultant at the division of paediatric allergy, immunology and rheumatology at the National University Hospital.

Although it is no longer the case now, people with the allergy are still seen regularly, doctors said. Those with suspected reactions should stop eating Birds Spit Soup and seek medical help immediately, said Dr Tham.

"Patients with such allergies may develop swelling in the lips or eyes, hives and throat tightness, and have difficulty breathing or even faint."

Dr Tham said there was an eight-year-old who went to the hospital's emergency department after eating a bowl of Birds Spit Soup. Within minutes of eating it, he had hives, swelling in the eyes and lips, as well as wheezing and difficulty in breathing.

"He received an adrenaline injection and antihistamines and was admitted for observation," she said. A skin test later confirmed the allergy.

Some people who have food allergy may occasionally test to see if they still react badly to a particular food "to try and allow their body to get used to it", said Dr Tham.

"This is highly discouraged. It is very dangerous and may lead to life-threatening reactions," she added.