Alpha gal: The first recorded death linked to alpha-gal syndrome, a dangerous allergy to red meat that can develop after a tick bite, has been confirmed. UVA Health shared on Thursday that the victim was a 47-year-old man from New Jersey who had enjoyed good health until a family camping trip in the summer of 2024. One evening, he and his family ate steak around 10 p.m. A few hours later, at about 2 a.m., he woke with sharp stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. By morning he felt stable again, and told his son, “I thought I was going to die.” Two weeks later, after eating a hamburger at a barbecue around 3 p.m., he fell sick again.He went to the bathroom at 7:20 p.m. His son found him on the floor ten minutes later, unconscious and surrounded by vomit. Emergency services were called while the son attempted CPR. Paramedics continued trying to revive him for nearly two hours as he was taken to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead at 10:22 p.m. An autopsy showed no major issues with his heart, brain, lungs, or abdomen, and the medical examiner recorded the case as “sudden unexplained death.”When Platts-Mills and the UVA Health team tested a blood sample, they discovered the man had become highly sensitive to alpha-gal. The results showed a reaction pattern similar to what is seen in fatal anaphylaxis, a severe allergic response marked by breathing trouble and widespread hives.What Is Alpha Gal Syndrome?Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a meat allergy that develops after bites from certain ticks, most often the lone star tick. People with AGS react to mammalian meat such as beef, pork, or lamb, and sometimes to other products made from mammals. Symptoms do not appear right away. They usually surface between two and six hours after eating foods that contain alpha-gal. Doctors diagnose AGS by reviewing symptoms, checking IgE antibody levels, and seeing whether a patient improves after avoiding mammalian meat. Treatment focuses on steering clear of foods and items that contain alpha-gal and reducing the risk of future tick bites, according to the Mayo Clinic.Alpha Gal Syndrome: First Death Linked To Tick-Borne Meat AllergyPlatts-Mills learned from the man’s wife that her husband had been bitten 12 or 13 times by tiny mites called chiggers that summer. After looking more closely, the doctor realised that many of those bites were actually from young lone star ticks. The Independent reported that Platts-Mills and his team believe a beer the man drank on the day he died, along with ragweed pollen exposure, may have intensified his reaction.Alpha Gal Syndrome: What Is Leading To Alpha Gal Syndrome?Although lone star ticks were once thought to be the only source of alpha-gal sensitisation, researchers have now found that two more species can trigger the condition. Deer ticks and western black-legged ticks have also been linked to AGS. Tick activity rises during warmer months, placing people in much of the eastern United States at greater risk.Scientists think that when a tick bites, it may introduce the alpha-gal sugar molecule into the bloodstream, which can set off changes in the immune system. After that, eating beef, pork, lamb, or other mammalian products can cause a delayed allergic reaction.Alpha Gal Syndrome: Early Warning Symptoms Early signs of AGS may include hives, itching, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or general abdominal discomfort, usually beginning two to six hours after eating red meat or dairy. Some people may also develop wheezing, trouble breathing, light-headedness, or a dangerous reaction known as anaphylaxis. Anyone who experiences severe symptoms such as breathing difficulty or a sudden fall in blood pressure should get medical help right away.About 110,000 possible cases were recorded in the United States between 2010 and 2022, though experts believe the real number may be higher. Because symptoms appear long after a meal, many people go undiagnosed or struggle to connect their reactions to the foods they ate.
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