What to know about Alpha-Gal meat allergy after man dies from eating hamburger
An American man has become the first person to die from an allergic reaction to meat caused by Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS).
The condition is estimated to affect up to 450,000 people in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Meanwhile, one woman says she was forced to become vegan 'against her will' after being diagnosed with the condition.
An airline pilot from New Jersey who unknowingly had AGS became unresponsive and died after eating a hamburger, with the 47-year-old first having had a bad reaction after eating steak last year.
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As per research published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the man experienced 'abdominal discomfort, which became so severe that he was writhing in pain, having diarrhea and vomiting'.
In the midst of the episode, he told one of his sons that 'I thought I was going to die', but he recovered the following day.
Two weeks later, he went to a barbecue and ate a hamburger at 3pm, where he was seemingly well enough to mow the lawn and read the paper.
However, an ambulance was called at 7.37pm when he was found unconscious on the bathroom floor with vomit around him. Despite attempts to resuscitate him for more than two hours, he could not be saved and was declared dead at 10.22pm.
His death was initially filed as 'sudden unexpected death', but after further testing, advocated for by his wife, it was discovered the man had had an allergic reaction caused by AGS.
Dr Thomas Platts-Mills, an allergist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who'd diagnosed the man, told NBC News: "The tragedy is that they didn’t think of that episode as anaphylaxis, and therefore didn’t connect it to the beef at the time."
What is Alpha-Gal Syndrome?
The condition causes people to become allergic to red meat, including beef, pork or lamb. It might also cause a reaction to products from mammals, such as dairy or gelatin.
The condition tends to start with a bite from a lone star tick in the US.
Dr Scott Commins, allergy and immunology specialist at the University of North Carolina Department of Medicine in Chapel Hill, told NBC that a 'large and increasing' population of the US is being exposed to the tick, as it's 'moving north because there are now large populations of deer in many states'.
He added that two of the biggest risk factors for severe reactions are exercise and alcohol.
These can both increase absorption of food allergens in the body.
Researchers said the pilot exercised and had a beer the day he died.
But Dr Commins added that AGS doesn't always last for life.
"It’s possible, through tick bite avoidance, that after three to four, maybe five years, it’ll fade,” he said.
What are the symptoms of Alpha-Gal Syndrome?
The CDC explains that symptoms can vary in severity from person to person.
They can appear between two and six hours after consuming meat or dairy products.
Reactions could include hives or itchy rashes, nausea or vomiting, severe stomach pain and diarrhea.
AGS might also cause heartburn or indigestion, a cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
A drop in blood pressure, dizziness, faintness and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue or eyelids might also occur.
CDC notes a combination of these symptoms is referred to as anaphylaxis.
Ellie Kemp