It was most likely a typical outdoor day in Nebraska for Diana Lecher when she received a tick bite that drastically changed her life. “I love the outdoors, so I considered it ‘normal’ and harmless to have several tick bites every year since I was a child,” Diana recalled.
Diana is one of possibly 110,000 cases of suspected alpha- gal syndrome (AGS) that has been diagnosed in persons in the United States. Alpha-gal syndrome is a serious, potentially life-threatening allergic condition that can occur after a tick bite. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in the United States, AGS is primarily associated with the bite of a lone star tick, but other kinds of ticks have not been ruled out.
Alpha-gal is a carbohydrate (or sugar) molecule found in most mammals. It doesn’t naturally occur in people. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the saliva of some ticks contains the alpha-gal molecule.When it enters the bloodstream, it can increase a human’s sensitivity to red meat.This has the potential to trigger an immune system response and the body reacts as if the red meat is harmful, causing allergic symptoms. Diana explains, “In 2009, I started having episodes of extreme itching and redness that progressively worsened over the next 6 years to the point I had to self-administer my EpiPen, take steroids, and often needed ER visits.” She goes on to say, “Despite allergy shots and preventative allergy medications, I had my worst reaction in 2014 when I was found unconscious on the floor at work. An EpiPen woke me up.”
