Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMast CellsSymptomsTriggersDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Mast Cells
Symptoms
Triggers
Diagnosis
Treatment
If you’re coping with episodic facial flushing you may be frustrated at how hard it is to get a diagnosis. What is facial flushing related tomastocytosislike and what are some of the conditions which could instead be the cause of your symptoms?
Mastocytosis DefinitionMastocytosisis a condition in which there are a greater than normal number of mast cells in the tissue. These mast cells cause a typical skin response calledurticaria pigmentosa (hives)immediately after stroking the skin with a blunt object.
Mastocytosis Definition
Mastocytosisis a condition in which there are a greater than normal number of mast cells in the tissue. These mast cells cause a typical skin response calledurticaria pigmentosa (hives)immediately after stroking the skin with a blunt object.
Mast cells are cells of the immune system which are found around blood vessels in the skin, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, and genitourinary tract. They contain granules of several substances, the most common of which ishistamine. These granules are released in response to contact with certain foreign substances.
Histamine, in turn, causes many of the symptoms we equate with an allergic reaction, such as itchy, watery eyes and noses and tightening of the airways in our lungs.
What Mast Cells Do in the Body
Theresa Chiechi / Verywell
Facial Flushing Symptoms
Facial flushingwith mastocytosis usually comes on rapidly. It is most prominent on the face and upper trunk and may have reddish-brown bumps. The face usuallybecomes redand hot and can be very itchy (pruritic.) It may also feel like it is burning or on fire.
Urticaria Pigmentosa and Mast Cell Involvement: What to Know
Other Mastocytosis Symptoms
Symptoms include:
What Is Indolent Systemic Mastocytosis?
Many people with mastocytosis cannot identify the triggers which result in flushing, but some people have found that exercise, heat, or anxiety are a possible trigger.
Medications such as opioid narcotics like morphine and codeine, and aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen can also start a flushing attack.
Mastocytosis can be difficult to diagnose and it can a very frustrating process. Correctly identifying the clinical symptoms aids in the diagnosis. Sometimes skin lesions andbone marroware biopsied and the urine checked for increased levels of the chemicals contained in mast cells.
The diagnosis is made a bit easier in those who have the classic urticaria pigmentosa but can still be a challenge. It may be suspected when people have what appears to be a severe allergic reaction without exposure to any obvious allergens or if a person develops a very severe insect-related anaphylactic reaction.
Differential Diagnosis
Some other conditions that may cause facial flushing and should be part of the differential diagnosis include:
Keep asking questions and be your own advocate in your care. Finding a diagnosis and determining a treatment can take time. If you’re not getting answers, consider getting a second opinion.
There are numerous treatment options for mastocytosis depending on the main symptoms. Treatments may include:
A Word From Verywell
Whether you’ve been diagnosed with mastocytosis as the cause of your facial flushing or your healthcare provider mentioned that mastocytosis is just one of the possible causes of your symptoms, you’re probably feeling very frustrated on top of being frightened.
Disorders such as mastocytosis (and other conditions in the differential diagnosis) are uncommon, and not every healthcare provider has seen the classic flushing reaction. That said, we have learned a lot about these conditions in recent years as our understanding of the immune and endocrine systems advance
Because these conditions are rare it’s not likely that you have a support group in your neighborhood, but online support communities allow people to connect with others facing similar challenges around the world.
What Are Myeloproliferative Disorders?
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.da Silva EZ, Jamur MC, Oliver C.Mast cell function: a new vision of an old cell.J Histochem Cytochem. 2014;62(10):698–738. doi:10.1369/0022155414545334Izikson L, English JC, Zirwas MJ.The flushing patient: Differential diagnosis, workup, and treatment.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2006;55(2):193-208. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2005.07.057Carter MC, Metcalfe DD, Komarow HD.Mastocytosis.Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2014;34(1):181–196. doi:10.1016/j.iac.2013.09.001Valent P, Akin C, Hartmann K.Advances in the classification and treatment of mastocytosis: Current status and outlook toward the future.Cancer Research. 2017;77(6):1261-1270. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-2234Additional ReadingGulen T, Hagglund H, Dahlen B, Nilsson G.Mastocytosis: The Puzzling Clinical Spectrum and Challenging Diagnostic Aspects of an Enigmatic Disease.Journal of Internal Medicine. 2016;279(3):211-28.Hannah-Shmouni F, Stratakis C, Koch C.Flushing in Neuro(Endocrinology).Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders. 2016;17(3):373-80.Ikizoglu G.Red Face Revisited: Flushing.Clinical Dermatology. 2014;32(6):800-8.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.da Silva EZ, Jamur MC, Oliver C.Mast cell function: a new vision of an old cell.J Histochem Cytochem. 2014;62(10):698–738. doi:10.1369/0022155414545334Izikson L, English JC, Zirwas MJ.The flushing patient: Differential diagnosis, workup, and treatment.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2006;55(2):193-208. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2005.07.057Carter MC, Metcalfe DD, Komarow HD.Mastocytosis.Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2014;34(1):181–196. doi:10.1016/j.iac.2013.09.001Valent P, Akin C, Hartmann K.Advances in the classification and treatment of mastocytosis: Current status and outlook toward the future.Cancer Research. 2017;77(6):1261-1270. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-2234Additional ReadingGulen T, Hagglund H, Dahlen B, Nilsson G.Mastocytosis: The Puzzling Clinical Spectrum and Challenging Diagnostic Aspects of an Enigmatic Disease.Journal of Internal Medicine. 2016;279(3):211-28.Hannah-Shmouni F, Stratakis C, Koch C.Flushing in Neuro(Endocrinology).Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders. 2016;17(3):373-80.Ikizoglu G.Red Face Revisited: Flushing.Clinical Dermatology. 2014;32(6):800-8.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
da Silva EZ, Jamur MC, Oliver C.Mast cell function: a new vision of an old cell.J Histochem Cytochem. 2014;62(10):698–738. doi:10.1369/0022155414545334Izikson L, English JC, Zirwas MJ.The flushing patient: Differential diagnosis, workup, and treatment.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2006;55(2):193-208. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2005.07.057Carter MC, Metcalfe DD, Komarow HD.Mastocytosis.Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2014;34(1):181–196. doi:10.1016/j.iac.2013.09.001Valent P, Akin C, Hartmann K.Advances in the classification and treatment of mastocytosis: Current status and outlook toward the future.Cancer Research. 2017;77(6):1261-1270. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-2234
da Silva EZ, Jamur MC, Oliver C.Mast cell function: a new vision of an old cell.J Histochem Cytochem. 2014;62(10):698–738. doi:10.1369/0022155414545334
Izikson L, English JC, Zirwas MJ.The flushing patient: Differential diagnosis, workup, and treatment.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2006;55(2):193-208. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2005.07.057
Carter MC, Metcalfe DD, Komarow HD.Mastocytosis.Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2014;34(1):181–196. doi:10.1016/j.iac.2013.09.001
Valent P, Akin C, Hartmann K.Advances in the classification and treatment of mastocytosis: Current status and outlook toward the future.Cancer Research. 2017;77(6):1261-1270. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-2234
Gulen T, Hagglund H, Dahlen B, Nilsson G.Mastocytosis: The Puzzling Clinical Spectrum and Challenging Diagnostic Aspects of an Enigmatic Disease.Journal of Internal Medicine. 2016;279(3):211-28.Hannah-Shmouni F, Stratakis C, Koch C.Flushing in Neuro(Endocrinology).Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders. 2016;17(3):373-80.Ikizoglu G.Red Face Revisited: Flushing.Clinical Dermatology. 2014;32(6):800-8.
Gulen T, Hagglund H, Dahlen B, Nilsson G.Mastocytosis: The Puzzling Clinical Spectrum and Challenging Diagnostic Aspects of an Enigmatic Disease.Journal of Internal Medicine. 2016;279(3):211-28.
Hannah-Shmouni F, Stratakis C, Koch C.Flushing in Neuro(Endocrinology).Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders. 2016;17(3):373-80.
Ikizoglu G.Red Face Revisited: Flushing.Clinical Dermatology. 2014;32(6):800-8.
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