Recently I was evaluating one of my Mast Cell Activating Syndrome (MCAS) patients, who I hadn’t seen in a while, because she was doing well. She has noticed, in addition to her worsening symptoms, that there are more people being diagnosed with MCAS and prior to Covid-19 very few people had the diagnosis at all.
It is well known now that Covid-19 can exacerbate MCAS through several different mechanisms that cause immune system dysregulation. This then leads to a prolonged hyperinflammatory state through the release of inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, histamine and prostaglandins.
For this reason, it is not unusual to find a huge overlap of symptoms between Covid-19 infections and MCAS. Symptoms that are similar between the two include; fatigue, chronic pain, GI distress, POTS both with and without concomitant Diabetes Insipidus and dermatological reactions.
Here in the Metro-Atlanta area you have to wonder were many of the MCAS patients of today suffering with mild symptoms of mold exposure like post nasal drip, watery eyes, irritated throat, mild skin conditions that were catalysed by Covid-19 or some other trigger, like the Covid-19 vaccine, that created a chronic inflammatory response? The opposite is also true, especially this summer with mold counts so high, I am seeing many flare ups of MCAS.
Regardless of which came first, the end product is an inflammatory response causing the disruption of mast cells. There are multiple treatments for MCAS that are effective, but need to be individualized. What I have found is that an important adjunct in managing MCAS is strict glucose control. This is where the real trick comes into play, especially with the American diet being the way it is. The next several articles will be dealing with counteracting the effects of our diet.
