Hives after eating steak

[ebtbmom]

Have you known anyone to develop an allergy to steak? About a year ago DS would c/o stomach pain after eating steak, but he really likes steak so he kept on eating it!

The last 3 times though he's actually broken out into hives! It happens several hours after he's eaten, and last night it got so bad that one of his eyes was swollen shut. I was getting pretty nervous and monitoring his lips and tongue. Eventually the Benadryl kicked in and this morning he's ok except his eye still looks a little funny.

I googled it and apparently there are people who have been bitten by ticks and developed an allergy to a sugar found in red meat. Weird! I was a school nurse for 6 years but never heard of an allergy developing from a tick bite. We live in a heavily wooded area, we've all had tick bites at one time or the other.

Anyway, I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow but I was just wondering if anyone had any personal experience with this.

And no, he's not eating steak again until we figure this out!

 

[Poohforyou]

I haven't heard of this but is it possible the allergy is to a seasoning on the steak rather than the meat itself? The store might have even used something.

 

[disfan07]

My mom developed an allergy to beef last year.
You can basically develop food allergies at anytime in your life to anything.
I was diagnosed last year at 22/23 yo old with 12 new food allergies....all foods I had been eating for my entire life.

I would definitely have him get allergy tested for beef.

If he is still have some allergy symptoms (especially involving the face/throat) I would give another dose of Benadryl.

 

[ellone]

My sister can't eat beef that's from cows that get antibiotics.

 

[Christine]

Is it just steak or all red meat (ground beef, for instance).

I have heard of the meat allergy after the tick bite. Anyway, that would happen with all red meat and not just "steak."

 

[ebtbmom]

Is it just steak or all red meat (ground beef, for instance).

I have heard of the meat allergy after the tick bite. Anyway, that would happen with all red meat and not just "steak."

Steak is the only red meat that he eats.

 

[Christine]

Steak is the only red meat that he eats.

Okay, well, it's probably time to make an appointment with an allergist to see if you can get confirmation on that.

 

[asta]

My 25 year old daughter has had this same reaction (hives and some facial swelling) five times over the last 6 years. It has always been after eating some type of meat. Three times for steak, once after a hamburger and another time at a barbecue. She does not eat red meat that frequently so we think that is the source. The strange thing is that she has eaten steak and hamburger several times without a reaction. We think that it is something being added to the meat, maybe tenderizer.

 

[mckryan]

I have a friend that developed this allergy in her 50s. It happens with all mammal meat for her, so she only eats chicken and fish now. No one could find an answer, and then we did some internet digging and found out about the tick bite connection. We live in the country, and she is always getting bit by ticks, so we are sure this is what happened. Now that she stays away from mammal meat, she hasn't had a reaction in a couple of years.

 

[summerblue]

Yes getting tick bit or even by other critters or exposure to certain illnesses can cause various allergies to present. When people are allergic to beef it is typically an reaction to the insulin in beef. At 21 I developed allergies to wheat, soy, food mold (cheese, vinegars, etc). I have a close friend who developed an allergy to beef, however she can consume bison, which has a very similar flavor profile to beef, I actually prefer bison, love the taste and the fact it is better for you. However, it could also as another poster stated an allergy to the antibiotics and other things given to cows. My in laws own a cattle farm, and the stuff required to be given to cattle is ridiculous. We do however raise a few for personal use (separated from the rest of the herd)that are not given antibiotics for our own consumption. The red tape to be able to get the farm certified to not have to give antibiotics to cows we sale is way to much, otherwise they would all be done antibiotic free.


A visit to an allergist will be able to tell you if it is in fact a beef allergy or allergy to a antibiotic or hormone.

 

[Green Tea]

You need to see the allergist, yes. More likely than the actual beef is a seasoning used on the meat. Mustard is a pretty common allergen. Not that you would be putting French's on your steak but a lot of spice blends have mustard powder in them.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

I too was going to suggest something being put on the stake vs. the stake itself.

Like PP said, many stake seasonsing/rubs have all sorts of herbs & spices.

Garlic Onion Mustard Seasoned Salt Parsely

 

[Lilliputian]

Are you sure that steak is the only beef he eats? No hamburgers from a restaurant ever? No pot roast? No spaghetti sauce with meat?

An allergic reaction to beef is possible, and it can be caused by ticks. However, if you only notice the reaction when he's eating steak, I'd lean toward something else on the steak. Beef is actually in more things than you'd expect. My sister was allergic to beef for a while (it was linked to a hormone problem that has been resolved), and she found out the hard way several times that beef was hiding in unexpected places.

With the exception of the beef allergy coming from tick bites, a huge majority of people with an actual beef allergy are also allergic to milk. Most milk-allergic people aren't allergic to the rest of the cow, but almost all beef-allergic people are allergic to milk. Chicken allergies are similar. Lots of people are allergic to eggs but not chicken, but almost all people allergic to chicken are allergic to chicken eggs.