[Histamine intolerance]

Abstract

Histamine intolerance (HIT) is a pathological process that results from a disbalance between levels of released histamine and the ability of the body to metabolize it. Accumulated histamine leads to the onset of "histamine mediated" reactions which are usually excessive and decrease quality of life. Although we have a lot of knowledge about histamine intolerance, HIT is still vastly underestimated, because it manifests via the diversity of clinical symptoms, that are often misinterpreted by the patient and sometimes even by a physician. Clinical symptoms and their provocation by certain kinds of food, beverages and drugs are often attributed to the different diseases, such as food allergy and intolerance of sulfites, or other biogenic amines (eg. tyramine), mastocytosis, psychosomatic diseases or adverse drug reactions in general. Proper diagnosis of HIT followed by therapy based on histamine--free diet and supplementation of diaminooxidase can considerably improve patient's quality of life.