AGS causes patients to become allergic to meat, and in some cases the reaction can be life-threatening. Symptoms typically start 2-6 hours after eating the meat.
The American Gastroenterological Association published a Clinical Practice Update in February notifying gastroenterologists that a subset of AGS patients are presenting with abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or vomiting, without skin changes or anaphylaxis. If alpha-gal is suspected, serum tests for immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies should be performed.
“It is important for gastroenterologists to be aware of this condition and to be capable of diagnosing and treating it in a timely manner,” wrote authors of the clinical practice update in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
A Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report demonstrates that health care provider knowledge is low surrounding AGS. Almost half of the 1,500 health care providers surveyed (42%) had never heard of the syndrome and another 35% were not confident in diagnosing or managing affected patients.
The low knowledge is concerning because the range of the lone star tick, which is the species primarily associated with this syndrome, is expanding. The knowledge gaps may lead to delayed or overlooked diagnoses.
“Improved health care provider education might facilitate a rapid diagnosis of AGS, improve patient care, and support public health understanding of this emerging condition,” write the report authors, led by Ann Carpenter, DVM, with the CDC.
Another Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, with lead author Johanna S. Salzer, DVM, PhD, of the CDC, also issued on July 28, notes that specific symptoms and severity of AGS vary and no cure or treatment is currently available. From 2010 to 2018, there were more than 34,000 suspected cases of AGS in the United States, but current knowledge of where the cases have occurred is limited, the study authors write.
According to the report, the suspected AGS cases were concentrated in areas where the lone star tick is known to be found, particularly throughout Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Suffolk County, N.Y.
The report also notes that, “during 2017-2021, there was an annual increase in positive test results for AGS in the United States. More than 90,000 suspected AGS cases were identified during the study period, and the number of new suspected cases increased by approximately 15,000 each year during the study.”
An AGS diagnosis “can be made with GI distress and increased serum alpha-gal IgE antibodies whose symptoms are relieved adequately on an alpha-gal avoidance diet that eliminates pork, beef, and mammalian-derived products,” the practice update says.
Patients whose symptoms also include facial swelling, urticaria, and trouble breathing should be referred to allergists, the AGA update states.
Patients should also be counseled to avoid further tick bites because additional bites can worsen the allergy.
The authors declare no relevant financial relationships.
