Fleisch- und Milchallergie nach Zeckenbiss?

And again breaking news. I couldn't believe it when I read exactly these headlines. Tens of thousands of Americans develop meat and dairy allergies. I honestly thought it was fake news when I heard about it for the first time. And then I did some research on the internet and it became clear to me that this was not a joke at all. And I noticed several other things. It's not the first time that such a report went through the media. But a few years ago, I didn't notice any of it at all, to be honest. As early as June 2019, the Austrian Medical Journal published the headline Meat allergy to tick bites. It was definitely on the internet, but I didn't see it. And responsible for this reaction is a so-called alpha-gal syndrome. Have you ever heard of it? I don't think so. What is it about? It's an allergic reaction to a sugar. And that's really super unusual, because until a few years ago it was still the common opinion that allergies can only be caused by protein. Yes, and now it's really getting exciting, because it's been a while since we've heard about it. As early as 2009, it has been shown that certain types of sugar can also cause allergies. And so the allergic reaction to this alpha-gal syndrome is to be traced back to the sugar galactose, more precisely to galactose alpha 1.3 galactose. This molecule occurs in the cell membrane of most mammals. But be careful now, not among us humans. So with everyone else, but not with us humans. At the same time, a reference to tick bites has already been made, in two US states, North Carolina and Tennessee. There is also a widespread occurrence of a certain type of tick. The name of this type of tick is Lone Star tick. And this is mainly found in the northeast and south of the USA. And so it comes to this allergic reaction to a tick bite. Alpha-gal syndrome can only develop after a tick bite, if the blood sucker, i.e. the tick, has previously attacked another mammal. Not the human being, but another mammal. Alpha-gal, this other mammal, then accumulates in the saliva or digestive tract of the spiders. Because ticks are spiders. And if a tick bites a human, the sugar molecule can get into the human bloodstream. And there the foreign substance alerts the immune system. And in the future it will react under certain circumstances of this human individual also to alpha-gal in the food with defense reactions. And these are the so-called allergic reactions. And that is why it is said that this reaction ensures that people after a tick bite can get an allergy to red meat such as beef, pork, lamb, goat, but also to milk and their products. And by the way, the following symptoms can occur, often only a few hours later. These are swellings of different body reactions, such as lip, face, neck, tongue, itching and itching skin, whistling breathing or shortness of breath. Then, of course, it will be quite frightening. Running nose, sneezing and, of course, the eyes that itch, stomach aches, diarrhea, nausea and headaches. But, and now it will of course also be frightening, but this alpha-gal syndrome can lead to an anaphylactic shock or anaphylaxis. And these symptoms are then the constriction of the airways and swelling of the tongue or throat with the result of whistling breathing and shortness of breath. So immediately when something like this comes and you notice that it is getting worse, but I'll tell you something about you in a moment, in any case, no matter when it comes at all, always visit the doctor. Of course, this leads to numbness, it can also lead to powerlessness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and so on and so forth. The blood pressure can drop and it can also lead to a weak or a rapid pulse. It is really assumed that in the USA up to half a million people may already be affected by this alpha-gal syndrome. And thus this would be the 10th most common food allergy in the USA. But now comes the reassurance. Confirmed deaths in connection with this allergy have apparently not occurred so far, so also in the USA and so far Germany actually seems to be spared. However, alpha-gal has already been found in the digestive organs of specimens of the mean wooden box. And that's the German Zecke here. There have apparently only been very few confirmed cases of alpha-gal syndrome in people in Europe so far. And if you are now thinking about whether you already have such a meat or milk allergy, you can do an IGE blood test to identify an allergic reaction to this particular sugar, which leads to this alpha-gal syndrome, at your doctor. Yes, exciting breaking news, right? I wanted to tell you about it, because sometimes there are symptoms that you can't assess. And who knows, maybe they haven't been observed yet, because the reaction can occur hours later after consumption of meat or dairy products. No matter how, you've heard about it and now know about it. I think it's such an exciting topic. Actually, everyone should know about it, so please, please share and thank you. If you subscribe to my channel, you can do it here. And the thumbs up, I always think it's great. And if you still want to see more of my videos, you can do it here. Thank you very much for watching today and all the best to you. See you next time. Bye.