Investigation into the α-Gal Syndrome: Characteristics of 261 Children and Adults Reporting Red Meat Allergy.

Background: Red meat allergy has historically been understood as a rare disease of atopic children, but the discovery of the "α-Gal syndrome," which relates to IgE to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal), has challenged that notion.

Objective: To describe the clinical and immunologic characteristics of a large group of subjects with self-reported allergy to mammalian meat.

Methods: This was an observational study of 261 children and adults (range, 5-82 years) who presented for evaluation for allergic reactions to mammalian meat.

A 71-year-old man with anaphylaxis after eating grits.

The allergist is frequently called on to evaluate patients after episodes of anaphylaxis to determine the cause and implement preventive measures that will reduce the patient's risk from future episodes. The etiology of anaphylaxis can be the result of numerous causes that may go undiagnosed if a thorough evaluation is not performed. We present a 71-year-old man with no history of food allergy or atopy who presented to the emergency room and then our allergy clinic for evaluation after suffering anaphylaxis after a meal of grits and shrimp.