Skip to main content

Alpha-Tryptase Linked to Prevalence of Anaphylaxis, Food Allergy

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Sept. 29, 2023 -- Alpha-tryptase is associated with increased prevalence of anaphylaxis or severe reaction to food, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Abigail Lang, M.D., from the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and colleagues examined the association between α-tryptase and severity of food allergy among 119 people who underwent tryptase genotyping: 82 from a cohort at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and 37 children who reacted to a peanut oral food challenge (OFC) at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

The researchers found that the presence of α-tryptase was associated with a higher prevalence of food-triggered anaphylaxis than in those with only β-tryptase among those in the NIAID cohort. Only 17 percent of children in the OFC cohort with β-tryptase had a severe reaction compared with 65 percent of those with α-tryptase. Higher total Severity Grading Score for Acute Reactions (SGSAR) scores were seen for individuals with α-tryptase compared with those with no α-tryptase. Significant positive correlations were seen for α-tryptase isoform copy number and higher total SGSAR and OFC symptom scores (Bock/Practical Allergy).

"Our findings also open the door to developing an entirely new treatment strategy for food allergies that would target or block α-tryptase," Lang said in a statement. "This is an exciting first step and more research is needed."

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted September 2023

Read this next

Peanut Consumption Starting in Infancy Provides Lasting Tolerance

THURSDAY, May 30, 2024 -- Peanut consumption starting in infancy and continuing to age 5 years provides lasting tolerance into adolescence, according to a study published in the...

High Mediterranean Diet Adherence Tied to Fewer Anxiety, Stress Symptoms

FRIDAY, May 24, 2024 -- Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is inversely associated with the severity of anxiety and stress symptoms in older adults, according to a study...

Ultraprocessed Foods Increase Adiposity, Cardiometabolic Risk in Children

WEDNESDAY, May 22, 2024 -- High ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption in young children is associated with adiposity and other cardiometabolic risk factors, according to a study...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.