Meat Allergy

Meat allergy is a type of food allergy where the body mistakenly identifies proteins in meat as harmful. When a person with this allergy consumes meat, their immune system reacts, potentially causing symptoms like hives, swelling, stomach pain, or even severe reactions like anaphylaxis. This allergy can sometimes be linked to a tick bite, particularly from the Lone Star tick, which can trigger an immune response to a sugar in meat called alpha-gal. Diagnosis typically involves allergy testing, and management includes avoiding meat and carrying emergency medication if necessary.