Assessment of the effects of work-related allergy to seafood on the reduction of earning capacity in the context of BK no. 5101

Abstract

Fish, crustaceans, and molluscs are among the most potent allergenic foods of animal origin and are thus important triggers of work-related immediate food allergies. In Germany, work-related seafood allergies are of great importance in the fishing and processing industries as well as in the areas of food preparation, food control, and food sales. There is no possibility for a causal therapy of seafood allergy, only the strict and lifelong avoidance of allergens remains. The following recommendations serve to assess the impact of seafood allergy with regard to the work opportunities closed by it for the assessment of the reduction of earning capacity (MdE) in the context of the occupational disease according to number 5101 of the Annex to the German regulation for occupational diseases. As a special feature of work-related seafood allergy with regard to insurance law aspects, it must be taken into account that there is a potential risk of systemic reaction with subsequent multi-organ involvement. For the estimation of MdE in the general labor market, the impact of seafood allergy can therefore be assessed, depending on its clinical severity, as generally ``mild'' to ``severe'' in justified individual cases.