Hello everyone. This is my second winter dealing with EM. I recently realized that the onset of my EM roughly coincides with the timeframe where I began eating Quorn products (vegetarian meat sub products made with fungus protein). I have seen it mentioned that EM can be caused by mushroom poisoning, so I wanted to ask - do any of you eat Quorn products or have any of you been diagnosed with EM caused by fungi? Are there any specific EM symptoms that may point to fungus being the cause?
Your EM could not be caused by mushroom poisoning from Quorn products. Mushroom poisoning-induced EM is caused by two forms of mushroom, Clitocybe acromelalgia that grows in Japan and Clitocybe amoenolens that grows in France (thank-you Wikipedia! I couldn't remember the names). They could not have turned up in the mushroom product used for Quorn, that's strictly controlled. Mushroom poisoning induced EM would have caused you many other symptoms, you would have been very unwell with it. There would also have been several cases of it in others who ate the products and there would have been a lot of publicity about it. It also causes a very intense and constant flare which have lasted between 8 days and 5 months, so it is different to "normal" EM. It is so rare I think there have been only a handful of cases associated with it, worldwide.
You might have a problem with mushrooms that means they can trigger your EM flares, that isn't poisoning induced EM simply a form of food intorlerance. Try cutting the Quorn out of your diet for a few days and see if it helps.
I've just had a lovely Quorn burger, and there is no link between my eating Quorn and my EM becoming worse. In fact, a period when I didn't eat Quorn products roughly coincides with when my EM got worse!
Thanks for the input! I actually have some type of EM where I have the average flare-ups that respond to cooling, but I also have areas on my toes that flare a darker red and are very tender and stay that way for months. I stopped eating Quorn products a few months ago and my EM has not been as intense (this winter) when it comes to the areas that flare intensely for months on end (last year that type of flare-up covered my toes and I could barely walk - now I have two small spots like that). I still have the regular (a couple per day) flare-ups triggered by heat and relieved by cooling, though. I hate the taste of mushrooms and never eat them, so Quorn products were the only fungus in my diet.