Mast cell disorders

In the last 10 years, to the chagrin of health care providers and the delight of social media, we have been inundated by a plethora of syndromes attributed to either an increase in mast cell numbers or activation. 1 Gulen T, Akin C, Bonadonna P, et al. Selecting the right criteria and proper classification to diagnose mast cell activation syndromes: a critical review [e-pub ahead of print]. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2021.06.011, accessed August 16, 2021. Google Scholar Patients are torn apart on who to believe, where to find evidence-based data to support a diagnosis, and how to best address their condition. Over- and underdiagnosis result from unfiltered and anecdotal information. Many questions lack straight answers: is a diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome possible without evidence of mast cell mediators? Is genetic duplication of tryptase genes always associated to mast cell activation symptoms? 2 Chollet MB, Akin C. Hereditary alpha tryptasemia is not associated with specific clinical phenotypes [e-pub ahead of print]. J Allergy Clin Immunol. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2021.06.017, accessed August 16, 2021. Google Scholar Are tyrosine kinase inhibitors appropriate treatment for mast cell activation syndrome? 3 Castells M Butterfield J. Mast cell activation syndrome and mastocytosis: initial treatment options and long-term management. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019; 7: 1097-1106 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (37) Google Scholar