-
Could IBS be AGS? A Conversation with Gastroenterologist, Dr. Sarah McGill, about the GI-Only Onset
-
April 4, 2023
Updated guidance provided for GI clinicians on alpha-gal syndrome
by Elana Gotkine
A subset of patients with alpha-gal allergy have gastrointestinal symptoms without skin changes or anaphylaxis, according to a clinical practice update published in the April issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Sarah K. McGill, M.D., from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues provide information relating to the presentation and management of alpha-gal syndrome in order to increase awareness among gastroenterologists.
...
...Measures to avoid tick bites should also be included in counseling, because additional bites can cause a further increase in alpha-gal IgE titers and worsen the allergy....
Leave a comment:
-
Local man recovers after a life-threatening disease from a tick bite
By Meredith Anderson and Joi Daniels
Published: Aug. 17, 2022 at 5:31 PM CDT
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - There’s a life-threatening disease you can get from a tick bite, and it’s probably not the one you have in mind.
It’s called alpha-gal, and you get it from the lone star tick, the most common tick in Georgia and South Carolina.
When one bit a Grovetown man, he didn’t think anything of it until months later. Donald Toulson woke up in the middle of the night having a severe allergic reaction.
When it happened again a few days later, he says he was lucky to put two and two together...Leave a comment:
-
Healio: Patients with alpha-gal syndrome report ‘wide range’ of previously undocumented symptoms- March 1, 2022
- Jennifer Platt, DrPH
- News
Healio reporter, Alexandra (Sasha) Todak contacted TBC United to learn more about the Alpha-gal Syndrome
Patient Experience Survey results presented at the 2022 Annual American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Conference, March 1st, in Phoenix, AZ.
“Patients with Alpha-gal Syndrome reported many physical and mental effects along with a profound quality-of-life impact – it goes beyond just not eating meat.” said TBC United CoFounder, and survey co author Dr. Jennifer Platt. To learn more about the results, you can read the Healio article here.
With more than 34,000 documented cases and rapid growth pattern since its discovery in the United States, it’s critically important to keep Alpha-gal Syndrome on the radar of all stakeholders through credible educational resources such as Healio, and AAAAI....
March 01, 2022
Patients with alpha-gal syndrome report ‘wide range’ of previously undocumented symptoms
PHOENIX — Patients with alpha-gal syndrome reported many physical and mental effects along with a profound quality-of-life impact, according to survey results presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting.
Understanding the vast range of symptoms that can indicate alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) — the first known carbohydrate-based allergy to mammalian-derived ingredients, which is associated with tick bites — is essential for diagnosing clinicians, according to the researchers.
“A lot of health care providers still are not aware of AGS, and providers who are aware of it do not understand the full range of symptoms,” Jennifer Platt, DrPH, cofounder and director of Tick-Borne Conditions United and adjunct professor at University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, told Healio. “AGS impacts every body system. Many patients are still told, ‘it's all in your head,’ prescribed anxiety/depression medication, and sent on their way.
...
Results of the survey showed that the most common mammalian ingredients and items that patients reacted to included beef (96%); pork (85%); dairy (60%); gelatin in food or medicine (55%); personal care products, such as shampoos and tampons (36%); prescription (35%) or over-the-counter (30%) medicines; lamb (34%); and venison (28%). Although less common, patients also reported having reacted to household cleaning products (27%), vaccines (13%), textiles (11%) and dental/surgical medical supplies (10%).
“There are some patients who are very, very sensitive, and they can’t even be around fumes,” Platt said. “For many people this is completely life-altering; it goes beyond just not eating [red] meat. It affects their ability to go to restaurants or to go to gatherings with family and friends.”
There are also many bizarre items that one would not associate with having mammal products in them, Platt said, such as crayons, asphalt, leather goods and cleaning products. Some people also react to carrageenan, an extract of seaweed that appears to be cross-reactive....
Leave a comment:
-
Alpha-gal support group in Northwest Arkansas helps those with allergies caused by tick bites
Mammal-based foods, products dangerous to sufferers by Janelle Jessen | February 27, 2022 at 3:45 a.m.
When Jennifer Burton staggered into the bathroom at her home on Beaver Lake early one morning in February 2017 and began throwing up, she didn't realize just how sick she was.
Her husband followed her into the bathroom and turned on the light. Burton began to realize how serious the situation was when her husband gasped and asked, "Have you seen yourself?"
Her face looked like she had been beaten with a baseball bat, and her eyes and ears were nearly swollen shut from a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. Anaphylactic shock can cause airways to swell shut. The reaction was even more dangerous for Burton because she lives nearly 45 minutes from the nearest hospital.
Burton had been suffering from hives and other allergy symptoms since 2011, but after the incident in 2017, she and her husband were determined to find out what was causing the problem, afraid it would kill her.
They connected with Dr. Tina Merritt Meinholz, a Bentonville-based allergy specialist, who used a blood test to diagnose Burton with alpha-gal syndrome, named for the galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose carbohydrate that causes the allergic reaction...
Leave a comment:
-
'A horror show': Alpha-gal, a meat allergy caused by tick bites, is on the upswing in Missouri (and 7 other states)
https://news.yahoo.com/horror-show-a...110034014.html
A horror show': Alpha-gal, a meat allergy caused by tick bites, is on the upswing in Missouri
Juliana Goodwin
Mon, May 9, 2022, 8:41 AM
One Friday night in the summer of 2018, Jaclynn Scott fried bacon for her family.
She had no idea how her life was about to change.
On Sunday, “I looked like I had been in a massive fight. I was almost anaphylactic. My brother rushed me to the urgent care,” Scott said.
This mother of three was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), which is an allergic reaction to mammal meat triggered by a tick bite. Data collected from 2010-2018 indicates Missouri is among the top five states with the highest number of cases. Local doctors say their patient load is definitely increasing.
Dr. Erich Mertensmeyer with Mercy used to count his alpha-gal patients.
“I stopped keeping track when I reached 200,” he said...
Leave a comment: