Red Meat Allergy

[MHolt]

I have been allergic to red meat for most of my life. It has typically been exercise induced.  My reactions are becoming increasingly severe while becoming more sensitive. I now have to use 2 epipens just to plateau the anaphylaxis in order to get to the hospital. I feel like my allergy is spinning out of control. Are there any stronger epipens or other medications? Really anything that will help.

[CampOther]

If you are allergic to red meat, you may want to avoid all red meat (beef, pork, venison) and maybe even dairy. Eliminate all red meat first and check ingredient lists carefully on gravies, sauces, soups, and seasoning mixes for meat-related products.

Talk to an allergist about this and make sure you get an Epipen kit just in case symptoms get serious. Your allergist may also recommend other medication to take such as Benadryl.

The allergy is unusual in that it's not what allergists traditionally think of as an allergy - a reaction to protein. It's a reaction to a specific carbohydrate in the meat. More research is needed on this allergy.

The trigger is a tick bite. It's not fully understood how this makes it more likely for a person to develop a red meat allergy, but the evidence is there.

Read my blog for more information:
http://campother.blogspot.com/2011/04/tick-bite-you-stick-to-eating-fish-and.html

and

http://campother.blogspot.com/2011/07/nc-teen-develops-red-meat-allergy-after.html

Also refer to this Washington Post article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101902874.html

[LauraD11]

Yes, u need to see an allergist! My attacks started out with swelling and hives and then moved on to blood pressure dropping, headaches, diarrhea, vomitting, and during the last one it got so severe that i had a seizure. You need to get it checked at least. Tell them what u think it is.  I have dealt with these symptoms for 20 years, not having a clue what it could b  If u have a hunch, go for it:)

[LauraD11]

Hi seemsso, I had a question about ur post.  Red meat in medicines and vitamins?? Really? Like what? I have had this allergy for 20 years and just found out 3 weeks ago what the allergen was! I would love to hear from u!

[jeffnolan360]

Thanks for this great information. I was trying to figure out if this was being caused by beer or red meat. The strange thing is; I don't drink beer or eat red meat a lot. And it turns out, coincidentally; that everytime I have broken out in  hives I had been both drinking beer and eating red-meat.

The first few times I broke out in the rash / hives, it only lasted a few hours, but this latest one has been going on for around 12 hours, and I have experienced shortness of breath, and hives all over. It is finally starting to go away; but I am going to stay away from red meat from now on. Hopfully, it is the red meat...not sure if I could give up beer so easily ;-)

The tick issue is interesting also, as I have a lot of ticks around my house out in the country, and often get them as I am doing yard work. The allergy started around the time I moved into this house about 7 months ago, and started getting ticks.

Thanks so much for the comments everyone!

[Tommy2242]

Wow!  These posts have been amazing to read.  When I was 25 years old I broke out in hives that spread to into a full blow swelling attack. They have no specific area of start, but mainly it starts in the palms of my hands, my scalp, or my waist /money maker. LOL!  In the years past the attacks have been random, but I have always traced them to red meat.  I thought I was crazy and that meat could not be the cause. Reading these posts and the similarities has completely changed my mind! Red Meat is no doubt the cause. I will say that my attacks seem to occur more as the seasons change to warm weather. Also, I have to thank the makers of Benadryl, without it I would not be typing this message. Once in my body the attacks will stop, but the swelling will still be noticeable for about 36 hours.  I have still not been to an allergist and I know that I must go! Do I need to? Have I finally cracked this case?
Can pork or fish cause this too? Anyone?

[trenardy]

According to this Australian expert, there is a link between red meat allergy and tick bites.

Ticks live in the grass and are carried by bandicoots and possums and pets:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23667445-23289,00.html

http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/warning-over-tick-bites-and-meat-allergy

I have developed an allergy to red meat, I have lots of ticks in the garden and I live in Sydney.

[sillyvixen]

i have been allergic to meat all my life - i first became ill when i was introduced to it on weaning. once meat was introduced i would vomit it back undigested about 7 hours later and become very unwell (my mothers words not mine) i was very aneamic as a child and this resolved when my mother made the conection with meat and stopped feeding me it. i was brought up a vegetarian from the age of 2 and had no further problems untill a few years ago when i had a operation, i have just had further surgery and have found out that 2 years ago i had anaphalaxis under general aneasetic within minuites of a gelifusin be started. i remember about a year ago getting very itchy after a few sips of cheap wine i also felt awfull and thought i was coming down with somthing - i went to bed and thought nothing of it untill the next day when i read the ingredients - it seems the wine was fined with geletine (the rest of the bottle went strait down the sink). i only learned about the anaphalaxis when i went for further surgery and the aneathisits got twitchy and told me.

its not just meat if you have real problems with meat its geletine coated pills, heparin, blood expanders, collegan, certain absorbable suture etc.

the odd thing is dispite having meat protien allergy written in red above my bed and a red allergy band on my wrist. the meal ordred on my behalf for the next day while still in surgery was pork casserole!!! ha ha all they could offer in its place was a cheese sandwich - after 36 hours NBM. and i still had to refuse heparin injections every drug round as they refused to take them off my drug chart - they were discontinued after the first lot of surgery - pretty quickly!

[squiggl]

Hi,
I developed an allergy to red meat when i was 26 years old.  I had never heard of it before  
and neither had the hospital in the town I live.  My mother and brother have also had reactions my brother at 30 and my mother in her 50's, their reactions were not as severe as mine.  They both still eat red meat.  I had one experience that put me in hospital for 5 hours on drips (saline and antihistamines) and oxygen.  It starts as hives all over my body and then respiratory distress and angioedema.  I was advised to stay away from red meat but given no explanation of why this was happenning.  I definately can not eat slabs of meat or mince but can eat bacon, salami and other processed type meats. Can you or someone else please explain why this reaction occurs, what is it in the meat that I am allergic to, why suddenly as an adult and is this a new phenomenon world wide or localised????    

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
There is nothing stronger than an epi-pen.EpiPen is a registered trademark for the most commonly used autoinjector of epinephrine (a.k.a. adrenaline), used in medicine to treat anaphylactic shock.
It can become a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction called Anaphylactic shock, the most severe type of anaphylaxis.
Symptoms can include the following:
polyuria
respiratory distress
hypotension (low blood pressure)
encephalitis
fainting
unconsciousness
urticaria (hives)
flushed appearance
angioedema (swelling of the lips, face, neck and throat): this can be life threatening
tears (due to angioedema and stress) .
ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphylaxis
So it would be in your best interest to give it up.

[nana3kmj]

My husband is also allergic to red meat.  He breaks out in hives, although the location varies - it could be the groin, the waist or even in his head, in which case he is temporarily blinded.  However, he had learned if he takes an antihistamine beforehand, such as Loratadine, he usually will not have a breakout.  Every once in a while he gets a craving for beef, so just takes the antihistamine.  He also has an epipen in case it starts to appear in his head.  We don't eat beef very often and I have even started making my spaghetti sauce with Italian sausage since after many years of no problem, he had an outbreak after eating it.  We have met several people in the last couple of years who have exactly the same  reaction and it just started out of the blue.  He has even broken out from an Arby's Rueben, which is supposed to be corned beef, and regular ruebens have never given him a problem.

[seemsso]

I developed a red meat allergy seven years ago, and it is not so easy to avoid meat.  It's in medicines, vitamins, many things you wouldn't expect.  Mine spiraled out of control til the doctors told me I would probably die next time I had a reaction.  I got better after going to a homeopath.  I still cannot eat meat, but the reaction is much less severe than it used to be.

[New_User]

It is very easy to avoid eggs.  There are substitutes for almost any product containing eggs.  If you look up "vegan", there are plenty of things that will come up.  You can use Vegenaise instead of regular mayonnaise, as it does not contain any eggs.  I find it at health food stores.  You can make cakes and cupcakes using vegan recipes.  If you don't have or use soymilk as most recipes call for, you can use regular milk.  I have never seen eggs in chocolate.  Dark chocolate should pretty much just be sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor and sometimes vanilla.  The only ice creams I can recall that have eggs in them are mostly the fancy expensive pints such as Ben and Jerry's.  Cheap dairy ice cream doesn't typically have eggs.  Soy ice cream contains no eggs or dairy, so you should be able to eat it with no problems.

I hope you stop eating meat and eggs soon because there is no reason to be in pain from your food.  

[Alahji]

Since April 2002 to date I have become allergic to red meat and eggs and anything with eggs in it eg cake, doughnuts, mayonnaise, some times even chocolate and ice cream. It gets so serious that I get blisters all over my body even in my mouth making it difficult for me to eat and even talk. Please help?

[CareAnnNurse]

Red Meat Allergy

I agree with avoiding red meat; I am highly allergic to PCN and have found when I eat traditional red meat- I react.  But with growing problems- I would think it is easier to avoid red meat.  I have had anaphylaxis- it is not worth it.

Be Careful.

[chinmay]

the more u run away from the red meat the more closer it will come to u so better eat and enjoy and die in peace. thanking u have a good time with ur red meat and die soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon.

[New_User]

Stop eating red meat, then?