Mast Cell Activation

MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA - CHARLESTON, SC - NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Mast cells: everyone on the planet has them, some people's tend to act up! Dr. Anne Maitland uses her allergy and immunology training to decode how and why mast cells might overreact.

Mast cells are very normal: they are responsible for reacting to stimuli that are irritating our immune system. They can cause itch, eye swelling, running noses and other reactions throughout the body... but when they overreact to all the many stimuli coming at the body at once? That can spell trouble.

Dr. Maitland provides a great overview of mast cell activation, why it may become disordered and what types of symptoms and treatments those patients should be on the lookout for after a diagnosis. She also describes the growing frequency of allergies and anaphylaxis in today's world, and why exactly that may be.

This presentation was given at the November 2019 meeting at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. (2019)

 

Revised: 1/2020