Meat allergies are rare but exist: Pork and chicken may also cause allergies

Do meat allergies really exist? The answer is yes. Although meat allergy accounts for less than 2% of all food allergy cases and is a very rare type, the most common meats on our daily tables, such as pork and chicken, can also become allergens. Even because they are too common and the onset of allergies is highly delayed, the missed diagnosis rate is much higher than that of common allergens such as seafood and milk.

I received a 10-year-old patient in the allergy department two months ago. Her mother said that she complained of stomachache every time she ate braised pork, and a red rash appeared on the corner of her mouth. After nearly a year of tests, soy sauce allergy, lactose intolerance, and Helicobacter pylori infection were ruled out. Finally, a specific IgE test was conducted and it was discovered that she was allergic to myoglobin in pork. Her symptoms were mild every time she had attacks. Parents did not think about the meat at all, always thinking "How can you be allergic to something you have eaten for more than ten years?"

Many people's understanding of meat allergy is still that "it is called an allergy only if you develop a rash immediately after eating it." However, in fact, the onset time of meat allergy is very different. For example, α-Gal red meat allergy, which is currently attracting much attention in the academic circles, usually attacks 3 to 6 hours after eating. Many people ate ribs after dinner. When they went to bed in the middle of the night, they were covered in wheals and even couldn't breathe. When they went to the hospital, they never thought that it was related to the dinner a few hours ago, and naturally they could not find out the cause. There are also many people who only experience mild abdominal pain and diarrhea when the attack occurs, and they only think that it is "too oily to digest", let alone the problem of the meat itself.

As for the cause of allergy to pig and chicken, there is currently no completely unified conclusion in the academic circles. Some researchers believe that the core is the specific proteins carried by the meat itself - such as serum albumin in chicken and actin in pork. For some people with abnormal immunity, these proteins are heterologous antigens and can trigger immune responses. ； Another group of researchers believe that nearly 30% of "pork allergy" cases in clinical practice actually fall into the category of cross-allergy, which is commonly known as "pollen-pork syndrome": in patients allergic to birch pollen, the IgE antibodies in their bodies will mistakenly identify proteins with similar structures in pork. Allergic reactions will occur only when it is attacked by pollen. This type of patient usually has no problem eating fully cooked pork, but raw pork or half-cooked pork chops will induce symptoms. This is why many people say that they are "all right eating fried pork at home, but uncomfortable eating tender pork chops from Western food."

A 27-year-old fitness enthusiast came to me before and said that he felt itchy all over his body every time he ate boiled chicken breasts in the past three months. At first, he thought he was allergic to the protein powder he was eating with him. He stopped the protein powder and tried several brands of cold fresh chicken breasts, but it didn't work. Finally, it was found out that he was intolerant to the allergenic protein in chicken. He had been working out and eating chicken breasts for two years without any problems, but it suddenly appeared after he got the flu three months ago. This is also a characteristic of meat allergy: it is not innate and unchangeable. Infections, immune fluctuations, and even tick bites may induce meat allergy that he never had before.

One thing to mention here is that many people think that meat allergy is a mild disease, with diarrhea and a rash at the most. In fact, it is not the case. Severe chicken allergy can also induce laryngeal edema and anaphylactic shock. I have encountered cases before where I was sent to the emergency room after taking a bite of chicken stuffed buns and was unable to speak for ten minutes. I really cannot take it lightly.

If you or someone around you has recurring unexplained abdominal pain, rashes, or respiratory discomfort, and no clear allergen can be found, you might as well recall whether you had eaten common meats such as pork or chicken 12 hours before the attack. Don’t just cross it off the suspect list. Of course, you don’t have to just give up all meat by making random guesses. Nowadays, specific IgE tests and skin prick tests can assist in the investigation. The final gold standard for diagnosis is the food challenge test. However, this must be done in the allergy department of a regular hospital. In case of severe allergic reactions, we can intervene immediately. Do not try it at home.

It's quite interesting to say that we always think that "things we often eat will definitely not cause allergies", but the human immune system is much more complex than we think. Just because it is rare does not mean it does not exist. It is better to pay more attention than to suffer repeatedly without finding the cause.