Mysterious meat allergy passed by ticks may affect hundreds of thousands in US, CDC estimates | CNN
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Alpha-gal syndrome – a reaction to a sugar found red meat and dairy products that is caused by lone star ticks – may now be the 10th most common food allergy in the United States, according to new CDC estimates. It is also one of the least recognized.

“This disease doesn’t have to be deadly if we just know about it,” McCullick said. “A lot of people could be saved just from the knowledge that needs to get out there.”

First time I heard about it.

  • Sirence@feddit.deEnglish
    4·
    1 month ago

    My husband had it.

    We never bought meat to use at home anyways, so in that aspect nothing really changed.

    However it was kinda cumbersome when invited by other people, especially since we live in a backwards place where people consume meat daily. E.g. grandmas kept cooking red meat despite me trying to explain it multiple times and getting offended when he didn’t eat it.
    Oftentimes my husband would just eat a bit of it anyways and then spend the evening in the toilet throwing up, just to avoid the strange drama that telling people you can’t eat meat causes.

    That’s also how we figured out it goes away, since the doctor made it sound like it would be permanent. But eating the bit started to get less bad and then eventually stopped causing any issues. Now he can eat anything people serve again, which is saving us a lot of headache and drama.

    • Fire Witch@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      1·
      1 month ago

      Oftentimes my husband would just eat a bit of it anyways and then spend the evening in the toilet throwing up, just to avoid the strange drama that telling

      I’m not vegan or even vegetarian, I just prefer a low meat diet, and that about lines up with the response I get when people find out about it. Somehow people just can’t fathom not craving red meat.

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      1 month ago

      Can I ask which general part of the country you’re in?

      I know the lone Star ticks prevalent in the East, but have heard that it’s traveling Westward and is basically everywhere at this point.

      • Sirence@feddit.deEnglish
        1·
        1 month ago

        We’re not even in the US. We assume he got it from a trip to Mexico because he has never been to North America at all.

        • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          1·
          1 month ago

          Oh, wow. I don’t even think they’re native to Mexico, but they easily could have spread there from Texas. Yikes.

          Thanks

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      1 month ago

      Glad that it eventually worked out for you guys, that does sound like a pain socially.

      What a bizarre malady, that timeline is wild.

      Thanks for sharing your story!