Histamine

General information:

Investigation of the concentration of histamine in the blood.
Histamine is a biogenic amine that accumulates in mast cells and is released upon their activation. As a vasoactive mediator, it plays a dominant role in allergic conditions such as allergic rhinitis (hay fever), allergic bronchial asthma and urticaria.
Histamine is also associated with so-called pseudoallergies to drugs, food additives, and other substances. In addition to being released from mast cells during allergic processes, it enters the body with food intake.
Histamine receptors are found almost everywhere in the body's systems and the symptoms of histamine intolerance (HIT) are very different. The main manifestations include flushing, diarrhea, nausea, headache, hot flashes and difficulty breathing. Eczema, rhinitis, attacks of urticaria, high blood pressure, colitis, asthma and general malaise are possible. Symptoms are usually more severe with a concomitant IgE-mediated type 1 allergy to various substances, including pollen, molds, food, or insect toxins.
Histamine intolerance can "mimic" food intolerance.
Histamine is present in food, where it is mainly produced in the ripening and fermentation processes. Bacterial enzymes (decarboxylases) convert histidine in food into histamine. This means that the longer food products are stored, the more histamine they contain. Histamine is heat stable and cannot be destroyed by common food processing methods such as freezing or heating. Because its formation is due to bacteria, it is present in large quantities in microbially produced or fermented foods (cheese, sauerkraut, wine), as well as in protein-rich foods such as meat and fish. When DAO activity is inhibited, the capacity to degrade histamine is significantly reduced. This is why eating foods with high levels of histamine can lead to the intolerance reactions mentioned above.

Sample required:

Venous blood

Key words:

histamine, allergy, хистамин