Suspected cases mainly occur in counties within the Southern, Midwestern, and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Census Bureau regions<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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THURSDAY, July 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Awareness and knowledge of alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), an emerging, tick bite-associated immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic condition, is limited among health care providers (HCP), and understanding the geographic distribution will help target high-risk populations, according to research published in the July 28 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ann Carpenter, D.V.M., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues conducted a web-based survey of 1,500 HCPs to examine their knowledge of AGS. The authors found that 42 percent of the HCPs surveyed had never heard of AGS, and fewer than one-third of those who had heard of AGS knew how to diagnose the condition. Two-thirds of respondents indicated that guidelines for AGS diagnosis and management would be useful.<\/p>\n Julie M. Thompson, D.V.M., Ph.D., also from the CDC, and colleagues assessed geographic distribution and magnitude of AGS by examining alpha-gal-specific IgE (sIgE) antibody testing results submitted to the commercial laboratory responsible for almost all testing in the United States before 2022. A total of 357,119 tests were submitted during Jan. 1, 2017, to Dec. 31, 2022, corresponding to 295,400 persons. The researchers found that 30.5 percent of people received a positive test result, and the number with a positive test result increased from 13,371 to 18,885 from 2017 to 2021. Suspected cases predominantly occurred in counties within the Southern, Midwestern, and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Census Bureau regions.<\/p>\n “The results of the current study can aid in initiating national surveillance efforts for this emerging allergic condition and for geographically targeting high-risk populations for public health outreach and HCP education,” Thompson and colleagues write.<\/p>\n One author from both studies disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text – Carpenter<\/a><\/p>\n