Medicine:Oral mite anaphylaxis
Oral mite anaphylaxis (OMA), also known as pancake syndrome, is a disease in which a person gets symptoms after eating food contaminated with particular mites. The disease name comes from reports of people becoming ill after eating pancakes made from contaminated wheat or corn (maize) flour.[1]
Symptoms and signs
The symptoms are allergic symptoms, especially trouble breathing, swelling of the face and throat, runny nose, cough, difficulty swallowing, and wheals.[1] Anaphylaxis can occur during exposure to NSAID drugs or exercise in people exposed to the mites.[2][3]
Cause
Dust mites are microscopic arachnids that produce very powerful allergens. If dust mites get into the food, then anyone eating the food is eating the allergens and may have an allergic reaction against them. The specific mites suspected as causing the condition are Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Blomia tropicalis, and Suidasia pontifica (Suidasia medanensis).[2] The latter two are the most likely to have caused the harmful effects, and they live in tropical and subtropical environments.[2]
Because the condition is triggered by eating pancakes and other cooked food, scientists expect that this means that the allergen can withstand the heat of cooking.[3]
Prevention
Storing flour at low temperature, such as in a freezer, could prevent contamination or kill existing mites in the flour.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Hidden allergens and oral mite anaphylaxis: the pancake syndrome revisited". Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology 15 (4): 337–343. August 2015. doi:10.1097/ACI.0000000000000175. PMID 26110684.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "[Oral anaphylaxis by ingestion of mite contaminated food in Panama City, 2011-2014]". Revista Alergia Mexico 62 (2): 112–117. June 2015. doi:10.29262/ram.v62i2.71. PMID 25958374.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Pancake syndrome (oral mite anaphylaxis)". The World Allergy Organization Journal 2 (5): 91–96. May 2009. doi:10.1186/1939-4551-2-5-91. PMID 23283016.
Further reading
- "Pancake syndrome induced by ingestion of tempura". The British Journal of Dermatology 170 (1): 213–214. January 2014. doi:10.1111/bjd.12597. PMID 24032354.
- "Simultaneous oral mite anaphylaxis (pancake syndrome) in a father and daughter and a review of the literature". Journal of Investigational Allergology & Clinical Immunology 25 (1): 75–76. 2015. PMID 25898706.
- "Oral mite anaphylaxis (pancake syndrome) also observed in children". Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 96 (5): 755–756. May 2006. doi:10.1016/s1081-1206(10)61079-4. PMID 16729794.
- "Additional information on the pancake syndrome". Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 101 (2): 221. August 2008. doi:10.1016/S1081-1206(10)60215-3. PMID 18727482.
 |  |
