🍖🕷️ Half-Million Guys & Gals Kine Get Meat Allergy From Tick Bites, C.D.C. Tell
⬇️ Pidgin | ⬇️ ⬇️ English
Ho, brah, get plenny people getting sick dese days, all kine meat allergy. Wat da kine? Dat’s right, dis new one called alpha-gal syndrome, and plenny doctors neva heard of ‘um. Up to 450,000 Americans stay living with dis, and plenty of dem not even knowing it 🤷, according to da new studies from da Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Da first study, one deep dive into da lab results of guys and gals who been tested for dis specific kine antibodies, found 110,000 suspected cases since 2010. But ho, dat’s just da tip of da iceberg 🏔️.
Da second study, eh, da numbers even more buggah! 78% of health care providers no even know about da condition. So many no even sure how fo’ make da diagnosis. Dr. Johanna Salzer from da C.D.C. wen say dat da real number might be up to half-million, but da estimate still kinda rough 🧮.
But clear, da condition stay underdiagnosed. Dr. Maya Jerath, one kine allergist and immunologist, she been treating hundreds of patients with alpha-gal syndrome. She say, “I had to go to five physicians before they could tell me what it was.” Dis da real kine problem, an’ now get numbers for back it up. Time fo’ take action 🚨.
Dis alpha-gal syndrome neva was identified until da 2000s. Get da kine name from one sugar inside da beef, pork, lamb, and oddah mammal meat, but no in humans or da apes. Da lone star tick, one mean kine buggah 🕷️, can give da sugar to da people wen they bite, and some immune systems go all nuts da next time dey eat meat.
Symptoms can take hours for show up, and can include hives, nausea, diarrhea, or even shock. Not all da patients feel sick every time dey grind meat 🍗. “It’s consistently inconsistent,” Dr. Salzer said. Tricky, tricky for da doctors.
Fo’ make da diagnosis, dey gotta do one blood test. Until August 2021, only one commercial lab did all da testing in da U.S. 🧪. From 2017 to 2022, 90,000 people got da positive tests, and da number going up each year, from 13,000 in 2017 to 19,000 in 2021. So far, 110,000 suspected cases since 2010.
Da rising number could be from more awareness, or da tick’s range expanding ’cause of da climate change 🌍. Dis alpha-gal syndrome most common in da Southern, Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states, but also get clusters in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. “I don’t think that the lone star tick is the full story,” Dr. Jerath said.
In da second study, dey surveyed 1,500 clinicians online, found 42% neva heard of alpha-gal syndrome. Anoddah 35% said dey no too sure how fo’ handle um. Da ones who know about it, 48% no even know what test fo’ order 📋.
Da main thing is, Dr. Salzer stress about da tick bite prevention. No like oddah tick-borne diseases, dis one no more treatment or cure. Gotta watch out, ’cause dis could be one lifelong condition. Da prevention gotta be part of da talk for why tick prevention so important for public health. So no fo’get, stay safe out dea and watch out for da kine lone star tick, could mean no more BBQ for you! 🍖🚫🕷️
NOW IN ENGLISH
🍖🕷️ Half-Million Guys & Gals May Get Meat Allergy From Tick Bites, C.D.C. Says
Hey, brother, many people are getting sick these days, a new type of meat allergy. What’s that? That’s right, this new one called alpha-gal syndrome, and many doctors have never heard of it. Up to 450,000 Americans are living with this, and many of them not even knowing it 🤷, according to the new studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The first study, a deep dive into the laboratory results of men and women who had been tested for this specific type of antibodies, found 110,000 suspected cases since 2010. But hey, that’s just the tip of the iceberg 🏔️.
The second study, well, the numbers are even more troubling! 78% of health care providers have little or no knowledge of the condition. So many are not even sure how to make the diagnosis. Dr. Johanna Salzer from the C.D.C. said that the real number might be up to half a million, but the estimate is still kind of rough 🧮.
But it’s clear, the condition is underdiagnosed. Dr. Maya Jerath, an allergist and immunologist, has been treating hundreds of patients with alpha-gal syndrome. She says, “I had to go to five physicians before they could tell me what it was.” This is a real problem, and now there are numbers to back it up. It’s time to take action 🚨.
This alpha-gal syndrome was not identified until the 2000s. It gets its name from a sugar present in beef, pork, lamb, and other mammal meats but not in humans or apes. The lone star tick, one nasty creature 🕷️, can transmit the sugar to people when they bite, and some immune systems go all crazy the next time they eat meat.
Symptoms can take hours to appear, and may include hives, nausea, diarrhea, or even shock. Not all the patients feel sick every time they eat meat 🍗. “It’s consistently inconsistent,” Dr. Salzer said. It’s a real challenge for health care providers.
To diagnose the syndrome, they must perform a blood test. Until August 2021, only one commercial lab performed all of this testing in the U.S. 🧪. From 2017 to 2022, more than 90,000 people received positive tests, and the number has increased annually, from 13,000 in 2017 to nearly 19,000 in 2021. In total, 110,000 suspected cases from 2010 to 2022.
The rising number of cases identified annually could stem from increasing awareness, an increase in the true prevalence of the syndrome, or a combination of both. Lone star ticks are expanding their range, likely as a result of climate change 🌍. Alpha-gal syndrome was most common across large parts of the Southern, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwestern states, but there were also clusters in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. “I don’t think that the lone star tick is the full story,” Dr. Jerath said.
In the second study, researchers surveyed 1,500 clinicians, including doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, using an online survey. They found that 42 percent of participants had not heard of alpha-gal syndrome. An additional 35 percent said they were “not too confident” that they could diagnose the illness or manage patients who had it. Of the clinicians who did know about the syndrome, 48 percent said they did not know what test they should order 📋.
Dr. Salzer stressed the importance of tick bite prevention, noting that unlike some other tick-borne diseases, alpha-gal syndrome has no treatment or cure. “Alpha-gal syndrome can be a lifelong condition,” Dr. Salzer said. “It definitely needs to be a part of the conversation of why tick prevention is so important for public health.” So don’t forget, stay safe out there and watch out for the lone star tick, it could mean no more BBQ for you! 🍖🚫🕷️
