“Bewildering” and “terrifying” is how some people are describing their sudden allergic reaction to their favorite red meat.
What Causes Someone To Be Allergic To Red Meat?
According to the Associated Press, as many as 450,000 Americans are now believed to have developed a red meat allergy after they were bitten by ticks.
The Mayo Clinic says the bite of a tick can trigger a condition called alpha-gal syndrome.
“The bite transfers a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into the body,” the Mayo Clinic reports on its website. “It causes severe allergic reactions to meat
Aug 22, 2018
Tick-born Alpha-gal allergy prompts symposium
While not everyone who is bitten by the Lone Star tick will develop alpha-gal, those who do can also be bewildered by the wide range of symptoms and their delayed appearance
CDC issues a “have you heard” , claiming half a million are now allergic to meat because of tick bites
A tickborne illness that causes an allergy to red meat is believed to have affected nearly half a million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Symptoms generally first appear three to eight hours symptoms after ingesting animal meat, a much longer period than the time frame associated with reactions from food allergies.
Symptoms of AGS include:
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
Stomach cramps
Shortness of breath (with anaphylaxis in some cases)
Severe whole-body itching
Hives or rash
Alpha-gal Syndrome can be life-threatening, the CDC says.
AC
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