KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says it's seeing more tick-associated conditions like alpha-gal syndrome. It's a serious sometimes life-threatening allergic condition that people can get after a tick bite. Living with alpha-gal syndrome means no read meat. That was a major lifestyle change for one Olathe man who was diagnosed when he was in middle school. He's now 22 and is able to eat some of his favorite meals again. According to the CDC in 2010 to 2022, more than 110,000 suspected cases of alpha-gal syndrome were identified. 20 Chiefs rally shooting victims receive ‘KC Strong’ fund money "My lips would puff up, my throat would get kind of tight and my stomach would start to hurt randomly," Hayden Hurtig said, who lived with alpha-gal syndrome. That's when Hurtig and his family knew something was wrong. After several visits to different doctors, one asked if he had been bit by a tick before. "I hunt naturally I was like yeah all the time sometimes we have farm go out on the land and get bit by a tick all the time," Hurtig said. That answer prompted a blood test, which came back positive for alpha-gal syndrome. Here's what happens. The tick, primarily a lone star tick, bites you. That bite can transmit a sugar molecule called alpha-gal. In some people, that process triggers an immune system response in the form of an allergic reaction after eating red meat. Dr. Erin Petro with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment says they're seeing more ticks and emerging cases of tick-associated conditions like alpha-gal. "Which can look like an anaphylactic reaction, it can be hives, itching, GI signs like diarrhea or feeling faint it can be this range of signs and symptoms," Petro said. They use different surveillance methods including emergency room data. "We were seeing an earlier increase in people seeking care for having tick bites so that was concerning," Petro said. Like in Hurtig's case, it can be difficult to diagnose because reactions can be delayed sometimes for hours. So for seven years, he cut out red meat from his diet and kept antihistamines by his side for the accidental slip ups. "That was the doctors best advice if you can completely cut it out you'll be able to get over the allergy sooner than later abut the more you eat it then more it feeds it and it will take longer," Hurtig said. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Doctors told Hurtig they couldn't say for sure when he could eat red meat again, if at all, but a few years ago, he got retested and was cleared. Prevention is key, use insect repellent and if you find a tick latched out, remove it using tweezers, keep an eye to see if you develop a fever within the next two weeks. If you start to feel sick, see a doctor and let them know you've been bit.