What is the dreadful alpha-gal syndrome, illness on rise in United States?

Alpha-gal syndrome has been on the rise in the United States since 2010. No, it has nothing to do with people with aggressive or dominant personalities – but rather a growing number of men and women who have developed allergies over the past decade. Let’s take a closer look: What is it? Alpha-gal syndrome is a food allergy that causes people to become allergic to red meat and other products made from mammals, according to the Mayo Clinic website. People in the US usually develop the condition after being bitten by the Lone Star tick.

As per CDC website_,_ the Lone Star tick is “a very aggressive tick that bites humans.”

The tick, found in the eastern and southern parts of the country, injects a sugar molecule known as alpha-gal into the human body through its bite. This causes the immune system to develop a reaction – ranging from severe to mild – to red meat. It can also result in reactions to mammal products such as dairy and gelatin, as per Mayo Clinic. What happened? A government report released Thursday estimated that over 100,000 people have become allergic to red meat since 2010 due to tick bites. A second report puts that figure even higher –  at 450,000. That would make it the 10th most common food allergy in the United States, said Dr Scott Commins, a University of North Carolina researcher who co-authored both papers published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Healthline reported that such red meat allergies first began being reported in 2009.

That year, just 24 cases had been reported. But by 2021, that number had soared to 34,000 cases. Scientists had seen reactions in such patients taking a cancer drug that was made in mouse cells containing the alpha-gal sugar. But in 2011 researchers first reported that it could spread through tick bites, too. According to Mayo Clinic, while most such cases are usually reported in the south, east and central United States, the disease seems to be spreading – via deer carrying the Lone Star tick across the country. Dr Erin McGintee, who practices on Long Island, told NBC News she’s seen around 900 people with the syndrome over the past decade. “Out here in the Hamptons, most people know at least one other person who has the syndrome," she added. “It does seem like it’s really growing,” Commins told the outlet. “It appears the range of this tick is expanding. … The other aspect of this that we’ve noted during the pandemic is that folks are getting outside — which is great — and hiking, going to national parks, trails, and this activity has led to increases in tick bites overall.” Patients bewildered Health officials said they are not aware of any confirmed deaths, but people with the allergy have described it as bewildering and terrifying. “I never connected it with any food because it was hours after eating,” said one patient, Bernadine Heller-Greenman. People with the syndrome can experience symptoms including hives, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue or eye lids. Unlike some other food allergies, which occur soon after eating, these reactions hit hours later.

“Often the fattier the meat, the more likely they’ll have a reaction,” Commins told the Washington Post.

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“So hamburger or marbled steak are the kind of textbook thing, and they finish dinner, no symptoms, go on to bed and then are woken in the middle of the night with itching and hives and often gastrointestinal stress as well.” Some patients have only stomach symptoms, and the American Gastroenterological Association says people with unexplained diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain should be tested for the syndrome. While not everyone will develop the alpha-gal syndrome after tick bites, experts say more research is required. Unfortunately, there is no cure for alpha-gal syndrome. As per the Mayo Clinic website, patients are best served by avoiding tick bites entirely. Wearing long pants and full-sleeved shirt in wooded, grassy areas, using bug spray, and checking your entire body for ticks is recommended after spending time outside. One of the studies released Thursday examined 2017-2022 test results from the main US commercial lab looking for alpha-gal antibodies. They noted the number of people testing positive rose from about 13,000 in 2017 to 19,000 in 2022. Experts say cases may be up for a variety of reasons, including lone star ticks’ expanding range, more people coming into contact with the ticks or more doctors learning about it and ordering tests for it. Doctors unaware But many doctors remain unaware of the disease. “The lack of [health care provider] knowledge of [alpha-gal syndrome] is likely to lead to under testing, further hampering knowledge of the national prevalence,” the study’s authors wrote of their findings as per CBS News. “The burden of alpha-gal syndrome in the United States could be substantial given the large percentage of cases suspected to be going undiagnosed due to non-specific and inconsistent symptoms, challenges seeking healthcare, and lack of clinician awareness,” the CDC’s Dr Johanna Salzer was quoted as saying by the outlet. This despite USA Today quoting Dr Ann Carpenter, lead author of one of the new CDC papers, as calling the syndrome “an emerging public health problem, with potentially severe health impacts that can last a lifetime for some patients.” The second study was a survey last year of 1,500 US primary care doctors and health professionals. The survey found nearly half had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, and only 5 per cent said they felt very confident they could diagnose it. Researchers used that information to estimate the number of people with the allergy — 450,000. The allergy can fade away in some people — Commins has seen that happen in about 15 per cent to 20 per cent of his patients. But a key is avoiding being re-bitten.

“The tick bites are central to this. They perpetuate the allergy,” he said.

One of his patients is Heller-Greenman, a 78-year-old New York art historian who spends summers on Martha’s Vineyard. She has grown accustomed to getting bitten by ticks on the island and said she has had Lyme disease four times. About five years ago, she started experiencing terrible, itchy hives on her back, torso and thighs in the middle of the night. Her doctors concluded it was an allergic reaction, but couldn’t pinpoint the trigger. She was never a big meat eater, but one day in January 2020 she had a hamburger and then a big, fatty steak the following evening. Six hours after dinner, she woke up nauseated, then suffered terrible spells of vomiting, diarrhea and dizziness. She passed out three times. She was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome shortly after that, and was told to avoid ticks and to stop eating red meat and dairy products. There have been no allergic reactions since. “I have one grandchild that watches me like a hawk,” she said, making sure she reads packaged food labels and avoids foods that could trigger a reaction. “I feel very lucky, really, that this has worked out for me,” she said. “Not all doctors are knowledgeable about this.” With inputs from agencies