July 28, 2023 – The CDC is asking for more healthcare providers to be educated about Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS), an allergy attributable to tick bites which will affect as much as 450,000 people within the United States.
AGS can be generally known as pork allergy or tick bite meat allergy. People can get AGS once they are bitten by a Lone Star tick, which makes them very sensitive to a sugar present in pork and dairy products, the CDC said in a Press release This got here with the discharge of two reports.
More than 110,000 suspected cases of AGS were identified between 2010 and 2011, however the CDC estimates that as many as 450,000 people may very well be infected. The problem is that many health care providers are unaware of the allergy. A survey of about 1,500 providers found that 42% had never heard of AGS and only a few third knew the way to diagnose the allergy, based on the federal health agency.
“Alpha-gal syndrome is an important emerging public health problem with potentially serious health consequences that may last a lifetime in some patients,” said Ann Carpenter, DVM, epidemiologist and lead writer of one among the articles.
“It is important for clinicians to be aware of AGS so they can properly screen, diagnose and treat their patients. They also need to educate them on tick bite prevention to protect patients from developing this allergic disease.”
AGS is a potentially life-threatening condition. Symptoms include hives, nausea, heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, shortness of breath, drop in blood pressure, and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue, or eyelids. Symptoms normally appear 2 to six hours after eating foods containing alpha-gal.
Diagnosis of AGS requires a positive diagnostic test and clinical examination. People who know they’ve AGS can treat it with Lifestyle changescorresponding to avoiding beef, pork, lamb, venison and rabbit, based on the CDC. Some people must avoid cow's milk, dairy products and gelatin. A small number of individuals should avoid certain vaccines and gelatin.
People without AGS should take precautions to avoid tick bites, the CDC advises.