Delayed anaphylactic shock is a new idea in the world of allergies. Previously, it was assumed that anaphylaxis comes on within minutes of being exposed to an allergen, or not at all.
Research carried out at University of Virginia has uncovered a severe delayed allergic reaction, which they call Delayed anaphylactic shock.
It appears to be specific to a meat allergy: beef, pork or lamb. Anaphylaxis can occur 3 to 6 hours after eating these foods for those who are allergic to it.
Symptoms can start with itching, progressing to hives on the skin’s outer and deeper layers. Swelling, intestinal irritation come next, along with airway constriction, chaotic heart beat and a rapid drop in blood pressure.
In mild cases anaphylaxis may include only the less serious symptoms, but it is possible for this to progress to the more sever, life-threatening reactions.
“Our conventional understanding is that anaphylaxis happens within seconds or minutes of exposure. The notion that it can be delayed for several hours is a paradigm altering discovery,” says senior study investigator, Thomas Platts-Mills, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at UVA and head of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The surprising thing about this allergy is that it involves a sugar, not a protein as with the allergies that science has so far become familiar with.
The reaction is triggered when IgE antibodies bind to galactose-?-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), a kind of sugar.
So what causes the IgE antibodies to alpha-gal to be produced in the first place?
Researchers suspect it is connected with the bite of a ‘seed’ tick, the larval form of various species of ticks such as deer ticks, dog ticks etc.
The researcher suspect that seed tick bites can occasionally cause a meat allergy in people with type A or O blood. Those with B or AB blood appear to be protected from developing IgE antibodies to alpha-gal sugar.
The study also found that the most common allergy testing method used by allergists, the skin prick test, does not detect a red meat allergy.
Many allergists still believe that allergies do not develop after childhood. This study makes it clear that adults can develop an allergy to meat due to larval tick bites.
When hiking in areas that may have ticks, wear clothing that protects you from tick hijacking. If you discover a tick on your skin, remove it as soon as possible in a way that removes the head of the tick from your skin.
Clothing repellents that contain permethrin (eg Permanone) can greatly reduce, but not necessarily eliminate encounters with ticks. Do not apply such repellents directly on your skin.
If you experience significant itching and redness around the bit, talk to your doctor about getting screened for an alpha-gal antibody.
There was a link to the original article used to research this one, but they have removed the page. This link may be to the same article.
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Also, how long does it take to recover from shock, and is it normal to suffer ongoing symptoms? I am assuming that it could take a month or more for the weed to be out of my system so perhaps that long? Would taking my Epipen help treat my reaction or will I continue to react over and over?
Hi,
Has anyone ever had a severe allergy to venison?
I have had really bad headaches and congestion after eating venison 2 separate times. And this past time (the third) I did not eat it but my roommate was cooking it in a crockpot for hours, and I am just now still getting over some bad congestion again, nearly slept 24 hours afterwards trying to recover! I am not sure what is going on.
Thanks.
My wife and I have this allergy and are very affected by deer. We actually got it earlier this year while we were at the deer camp working. I went through about four months of hell with all kinds of doctors trying to figure out what was wrong. The headaches and horrible stomach issues were the worst at first then all kinds of things started to happen. So far we have had to stop eating all dairy because it has been causing problems too.
This has been happening to me for about 6 or 7 years. I can’t remember how long exactly. The first time it happened, I had hives all over my body, and after about three hours, I went to the pharmacy to get something to help. The man told me that I needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. I went to the ER and they gave me 3 different shots, a steroid being one of them and the others, I am unsure of. They asked me questions to figure out the cause, but we couldn’t pinpoint it. I remember thinking that it could have been the Quarter Pounder with Cheese I ate that afternoon. I was vegetarian for about 5 years, and that had been the first red meat I had eaten. Over the next year, I got the hives about 4 times and decided that red meat was causing it. Most of my friends thought I was crazy, and I am not sure my parents believed me. I had grown up eating meat, and it never bothered me then, did being a vegetarian leave my body unable to digest meat? For years, I have only eaten red meat a couple of times. The reaction varies, sometimes I have hives all over my body, I get dizzy, and I breathe a lot faster. Other times, my stomach feels like it’s contracting and I also get short of breath. Really, it feels like someone has my intestines in their hands and they are ringing it out a like a wet towel. Usually I can catch the reaction before it gets too bad, and I take Benadryl. This has always helped, so I have never seen anyone about it.
This only happens with beef products, and does not happen if I eat organic beef. I can’t figure out the difference. I thought it had something to do with preservatives used in production, but after finally finding this study online, I see that it has more to do with a sugar found in beef. Why don’t I get this reaction when eating organic?
Thanks to everyone for writing their stories on here. I thought I was crazy, and so did many of my friends!
Ranae,
Interesting to hear you say you can eat organic beef.. I’ve had this mammalian meat allergy for 16 months. I took a bite of a steak to see if I still had it and ended up in the ER 17 hours later.. My biggest question, which I will found out next month when I visit Dr Commins, can I eat organic grass feed, grass finished beef. You give me hope. I would love to have a steak or a cheesburger..I also can not eat pork, venison, lamb, or bison.. Thanks for sharing
Ranae — your situation is similar to mine; for years I had the reactions, but until UVA published its study, I didn’t know what caused my allergy.
My recommendations are 1) go to an allergist who is familiar with this allergy OR is willing to get online and research it. The only way to know for sure if you have the alpha gal allergy is to be tested for it. It’s not a standard allergy test for beef or other meats; it is a test specifically for the alpha gal. Knowing if that’s what you are dealing with is important.
2) Like the UVA website says, some people report that they don’t have reactions to all red meats, and that they can eat organic, or ham, or something else, without problems. You may be a lucky person who can eat organic, and nothing is going to happen — or since it’s known that allergy reactions can vary over time, you might be setting yourself up for a serious reaction in the future. If you find that you indeed have the alpha gal allergy, you will likely want to carry Benadryl AND epipens with you, in case you have a sudden and life-threatening reaction.
Good luck.
Thanks…….This is all still so new to me. I did have a reaction to some bacon that was in a dish that I wasn’t aware of. I had to call the place and ask if there were other meats besides chicken in it and it was bacon pieces from what the manager said, not just the fat. I have found that the more that I don’t eat it, the more sensitive I am. I think it has to do with more of the awareness now, but I still haven’t had a “severe” attack in awhile and I’m sure it’s due to the change in diet. I have made one recent discovery. I have problems swallowing foods sometimes. Beef was really bad, chicken somewhat. Just thought I had some problem other than the allergy. I had a really bad one a couple of weeks ago and the only way to discribe it is to say it almost feels like someone takes a hand and squeezes and catches the food on the way down. Won’t go up or down. Sometimes it’s reallIy painful. I had to come home from work it hurt so bad this morning, from a Chik fila chicken breakfast burrito. My husband finally talked me into taking an epi shot. Long story short, the symptoms immediately were relieved as soon as the shot took affect. I did talk to my doc about it. Don’t know if it was a fluke or if there is something with Chicken that bothers me, even though I tested negative for any allergy to it. Don’t know if others have this, but it stinks.
Lea — I had to stop eating Chik-fil-a altogether (except for the fries, slaw and lemonade). The reason? ALL of their breaded chicken products contain milk. ALL of their buns contain milk. AND if your burrito had grilled chicken? Well, I learned by talking with several different locations of Chik-fil-a that they grill all the bacon for the day’s sandwiches in the morning, clean the grill, and then grill the chicken for all the menu items that call for grilled chicken. What you won’t know is how well the grill gets cleaned on any given day. I have been red meat-allergic for ten years, and after a bunch of tick bites nearly two years ago, my red meat allergy worsened to include dairy and even slight amounts of cross-contamination. My symptoms did not clear up entirely until I eliminated all sources of dairy and stopped taking vitamins and some medications that have gelatin or magnesium stearate in them. I still will have a bout of itching and rash from time to time, not know where it came from, because I am hyper-vigilant, but Benadryl takes care of it.
Have you been tested for alpha gal? For beef, pork and lamb? For dairy? IF you’ve been tested for alpha gal and have that allergy, and your throat symptoms subsided after using the epipen, it makes some sense that that something in that burrito is either mammal meat or dairy.
Going without red meat has been a “given” for me for a long time. But doing without dairy took my sense of “deprivation” to a whole new level. It is amazing, though, how human beings can adjust. Now, if I found out I couldn’t have chocolate….
Lea, Be careful with Jello, casings, Beano, marshmallows and if you’re not sure then pass on it. The throat thing could be eosinophylic esophagus, another issue from food allergies.
Thanks for the info! I am more convinced now than ever, it is allergy related. I have been hyper vigilant about watching what was in my food at places and my symptoms have gone away again. I have not had another episode since I just quit eating out pretty much. I do have a lactose intolerance thing, but I don’t think there is too much of an issue. It’s looking bleak about eating out pretty much. Just As far as taste, I don’t miss it anymore. Ground Turkey has become my new best friend.
Follow up to the eosinophylic esophagus. I’m pretty sure, T.M., that you were right on about it. Since I’ve become VERY vigilant about not eating anything beef, pork, etc., I have ZERO reactions! And it was bacon that did it to me.
My husband and partner build miles of fence to supplement farm income They not only are exposed to ticks but also arsenic in cca treated posts. He had a severe delayed reaction about 3 hours after eating a whopper at BK last night just as described in your article. He took Benedryl and also ibuprofen and settled down after about 20 minutes but it was frightening. My first thought was that he had been overexposed to the cca but he had told me his partner had developed an allergy to beef. So this morning I googled acute allergic reaction to burger king and found this article. I was shocked to say the least. I think we better test for this. How was the connection ever made to ticks?
I have the tick bite meat allergy and after 6 months I’m starting to get use to not eating meat from hooved animals, I’m not saying I like it, but I’m adjusting to it… I just want to know if someday, somehow I can have a BLT, or a nice steak without going into Anaphylaxis!!! I guess I should be happy I can still eat dairy products.. Since this whole thing started, I have had issues with testing partially positive, or have positive markers, to autoimmune dieases, such as Lupus and RA. After months of retesting, I’m now totally neagtive for Lupus and RA, but now I’m positive for ANA, Antinuclear Antibodies. In addition to the meat allergy, I’m now allergic to 24 other things.. I wonder if this is all tied to the change in my body since the meat allergy? I tested equivocal for lyme disease and had all the lyme symptoms on top of the meat allergy. I thought I was going die some days! No meat or meat products = No ER trips for me! I would like to know if other people have had some of the same issues with autoimmune test? My Doctors can’t answer questions because so little is know. I did get on the UVA website, but I didn’t find any mention of autoimmune disease testing results. Any input please. Thank you.
Hi,
Thanks for posting this article, i found it after searching for delayed anaphalaxys which is something that i suffer from.
The condition has come on as i got older and it took me a few years to finally work out what that it was anaphalaxys as i assumed it was “something i ate” and to identify the cause which in my case is peanuts or peanut products.
After 6 to 8 hours of ingesting anything with peanuts in it i suffer from stomach pains which increase to severe stomach craps within an hour, then i suffer from extreme bouts of vomiting and diahorrea.
During this time i will sweat as though in a fever and my skin will begin to itch, hand, feet and face swell and i develop hives in the folds in my skin such as under my arms, elbows, back of knees and groin and i become hyper sensitive to the touch.
The worst case required intervention of paramedics as my throat and tongue started to swell.
I avoid peanuts at all times now and since avoiding them i have had no further problems other than one mistake when i ate a bakery product without reading the label.
I have no sensitivity to anything else and i dont suffer from any other allergy.
Andrew, you are going what I went through for years. I had no idea of what I was allergic to. I am 48 and I started these “symptoms” when I was 17. I just found out last year what it was. I can relate to some of your symptoms. Mine reactions start with a “bump” or “knot” in the palms of my hands or the arch of my feet. There have been severe to just really bad….I can only say that they are the worst. Mine is an Alpha-Gal allergy. I have since found out I was allergic to trees, grass, dogs, cats, mold……I started taking shots for those and I can honestly say that I have never felt better. Find out what is your trigger and make sure to avoid!
I just received a link to a very interesting and scary video, describing how restaurant chicken has added protein powder, many times containing beef and pork!
Subject: Not chicken. It’s pork!
http://youtu.be/Jb803YfdmAM
Interesting video, thanks for the link.
The video is a BBC TV piece explaining how water is injected into chicken to increase its weight, and that protein powder must be used to hold the water in place. Some protein suppliers are able to strip the DNA out of the protein so that if they use beef or pork protein (cheaper than chicken) it can’t be detected. But new tests are able to detect the trick.
If your food is too cheap, there’s something wrong with it!
Hi,
I had an anaphylaxis reaction to Viburnum bush – I got the sap on my hands when pruning it and the rash moved up my arms within minutes, then within hour and a half I was unconscious. Wonderful ambulance people and awesome Dr Dutton of Bathurst Hospital, NSW Australia saved my life. In the years since (that was 2001) I have talked to many other people who have anaphylaxis problems and the allergy sources are varied. I have a friend who can’t touch any form of shellfish. Others I know of are peanuts or egg reactions. A boy I know has had a hives reaction to tick bite. I have only a mild pineapple allergy (makes me wheezy – asthma), but I don’t seem to have any other allergies, thank goodness. Reading through these experiences of meat allergy is interesting. It seems that the body can react to just about any ordinary substance and cause a reaction overload. Why? Noone knows. The allergy specialist I was sent to following my near death said the Viburnum was a world first which is why I thought I should share it. Many different substances can cause problems it seems, people simply need to familiarise themselves with the symptoms associated with anaphylaxis and respond to it by seeking emergency care. Be safe and seek help.
Ali
I developed this problem while living in NC ten years ago. I had many tick bites, and then one day, I ate a hamburger and had a massive allergic reaction. Mine continued to worsen, each time I ate anything with meat in it (other than fish and chicken), until the last time several years ago, I had a seizure.
I avoided all meats and moved north where there were less ticks, and I am better. (I can have dairy now, but hardly do.) But I will not eat meat again. Ever.
I’m having my alpha-gal test done every few months to watch the numbers. They are coming down and I’m praying they will continue to come down. I am now in the moderate range. I will not eat beef, pork or lamb until my numbers are near the normal range and until that day, I will avoid meat. Seems liike a silly thing to want to eat meat so bad. I guess we always want what we can’t have when it has been taken away from us without our consent!
I really appreciate this article. I had a severe reaction 4 hours after eating a steak. I was 57 at the time with no history of allergies except Calamari. It took a while to figure it out. I had 2 more delayed reactions all severe which required hospitalization. Now after 2 years being beef free I am showing a 1 rather than a 6 on the RAST test. I am scared to try and eat any. I carry an epipen, benadryl, zantac at all times.
I live in North Cental Arkansas and have had numerous ticks bites over the years. I wonder if this caused it? I am B+ not A or O which is even more interesting. I show 1 on Dairy, 1 Peanuts, 1Tuna and showed 6 on Beef 2 years ago. I ate beef all of my life. I also had H Pylori unknown to me at the time of first reaction. I understand this can also do something to the lining of your stomach which will make you fight protiens.
It was a bit difficult to find much on adult onset allergies.
Judy, if you go to the UVA blogsite on Mammalian Meat allergies, there will be more answers to your questions, including how to get tested specifically for the alpha gal allergy (there’s just one lab that does it) and how to get the proper blood testing for beef, pork, lamb, milk, etc.
While UVA was stating a few years ago that they thought that people who had B or O type blood might be less susceptible to the alpha gal allergy, they have since reversed that position. The more people they have in their database, the more they are seeing all different blood types.
You’ll also read on the UVA website that regardless of how high or low your #s are, if you have had life-threatening reactions to beef, then total avoidance is advised. My numbers are down, but I’m not taking any chances. Period. Living well and unafraid is far preferable to chancing a bite of beef now and then (I learned that the hard way….)
Thank you so much !! Judy
Delayed anaphylactic shocks are nothing new to us. Our son has had 2 delayed reactions, but to pistachios not meat. After the first one (4 hours after pistachio traces) the doctors didn’t believe us, so they did a food challenge with pistachios and he showed exactly the same 4 hours-delayed anaphylactic shock. They said this was extremely rare.
I became allergic to crustaceans in my early 20s. I have been in full-blown anaphylactic shock; huge hives, not breathing, tunnel, light and all. Luckily I had just arrived at the ER and they saved me. But I have never once had a reaction sooner than 24 hours after ingesting the shellfish. All events after the first one were accidental; caused mainly by people lying to me about the content of menu items in restaurants and once by there being shrimp in the Reuben sandwich I ordered. I didn’t think to ask! I had no idea that my pattern was so rare until I met an ER doc who refused to either believe me or treat me. He did call me the next day to apologize after he had done some research but I had to save my own life in his ER with my epi-pen.
Thanks for your comment, Desi. It is the basis of a new article: Delayed Anaphylaxis with Shellfish
Dr. Kidd in BR is helping us with this issue. You might want to set up an appointment with him.
Where is Dr Kidd located? State and City? I have refrained from Beef now and take a Zantac daily and carry my Epipen. Been a long time now since I have had a reaction but do not chance it. I can eat pork and chicken, not sure about lamb because I never eat it and pass on it now just in case.
Judy, I found out from my allergist in Bentonville. Her name is Dr. Merritt. She knew what it was when I just started telling her. She was the one that tuned me in to this site. She has been featured on our local tv stations to get out the message on this allergy. I think I was early on in this and she’s finding more and more people that have this.
I would also like to know where Dr. Kidd is located. What does BR stand for?
Dr. Kidd is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
I went to Family Allergy & Astham and seen Dr. Aora, here in Campbellsville, KY. They also have other offices all over Kentucky & Indiana. After 6 ER visits in 4 months they finally diagnosed me with Alpha-Gal Mammalian Meat Allergy. I cannot eat beef, lamb, pork, goat, deer, or buffalo nor anything derivative from any of these animals. All from a TICK bite last year. I would break out in THOUSANDS of hives, which itched and burned, then I would completely swell up & turn red, get hot, disoriented, couldn’t swallow, was hard to talk & breath. Then my blood pressure would drop and I passed out. Scared me to death!!
I had my alpha-gal tested last week, my numbers had been on the decline and I was hoping to eat meat in small amounts next year. My level was sky high, 8.26. I now realize that I have been bitten by another tick. We constantlly find them on the pets, crawling on the floor or my bed… I had some symptoms reappearing and could not figure out why, now I know… I have an appointment with one of the Doctor’s at UVA, who discovered the allergy, in the middle of Feburay. I hope to have answers about to what alpha – gal is affecting in my body, how I can get the numbers down and if there is any thing natural I can take to get the Alpha-gal numbers down. If you have this allergy and have any suggestions about natural alternatives to symptoms, it would be greatly appreciated.. Right now I’m on a once a day allergy pill, because my cats and dogs affect me since the whole alpaigal thing started. Thanks.
Delayed Anaphylactic Shock to Chicken and wine
I had anaphylactic attack after having chicken, roti, wine (wine for the first time in my life) together. The symptoms were exactly what you have mentioned here. Attack happened in the very next day after having dry days of my work/travel with less water consumption. Symptoms occurred after 3 hours of having food in the morning by itching of the skin (8 mins) followed by breathing trouble ,blurred vision and collapsing(5 mins) . It took 10 to 15mins for me to collapse. I was directly taken to hospital in next 5 mints and were treated. On the way to hospital I could breath again for secnds and that’s how I survived. After that I had wine ,roti and chicken but not together. I still do not have clear reason for the attack. And I get panic for mild itching( its a bit different sort of itching in the deeper layers of skin for attack) . May be it happened my blood group is O+ and my sugar level was higher to break to alpha-gal and bound with IgE antibodies . I will definitely go to doctor and check for the level of IgE antibodies in my blood. Thanks for the information and it was worth reading. I would request everybody to consume plenty of water, fruits and vegetables in the diet which will certainly keep you in a good health position.
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