Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Symptoms Survey

 Please rate each symptom below on a scale of 0 to 5.

0 = you do not experience this symptom
1 = symptom is very mild
2 = symptom is slightly bothersome
3 = symptom is moderate
4 = symptom is severe
5 = symptom is very severe

1. Fatigue                            4
2. Sweats                             3  
3. Feeling Cold                    2                                  
4. Flushing                          5        
5. Weight Gain                     4                                 
6. Weight Loss                     0                               
7. Appetite Increase              4                           
8. Appetite Decrease             0    
9. Rashes                              3
10. Itching                              3
11. Hair Thinning/Loss            4
12. Irritated Eyes                     4
13. Light Sensitivity                 3
14. Tinnitus                              0              
15. Ear Pain                              2
16. Ear Congestion                    3
17. Mouth Burning                    4
18. Mouth Sores                        0
19. Dental Decay                       4
20. Allergies                              0 (Allergy symptoms but test negative)
21. Itchy Throat                         4            
22. Sore Throat                          4
23. Post-nasal drip                     5
24. Swollen lymph nodes           2
25. Painful lymph nodes            2
26. Pain in left upper abdomen  0
27. Swollen nasal passages        5
28. Swollen sinuses                   4
29. Cough                                  2
30. Trouble catching breath        1
31. Wheezing                             0
32. Sleep Apnea                          4
33. Dizziness                              3                      
34. Lightheadedness                    4                   
35. Weakness                              4                    
36. Vertigo                                  0                    
37. Fainting                                 0                     
38. High Blood Pressure              0
39. Low Blood Pressure               0
40. Heart Palpitations                  3
41. Chest Pain                             2
42. Bloating/gas                          4                 
43. Abdominal pain                     0        
44. Queasiness                            4                   
45. Nausea                                  3                
46. Vomiting                               2                   
47. Diarrhea                                3            
48. Constipation                          4                    
49. Reflux                                   5              
50. Pelvic pain                             0           
51. Endometriosis (women)          0
52. Decreased Libido                   4         
53. Erectile dysfunction (men)
54. Muscle pain                            4                    
55. Arthritis                                 4                     
56. Joint hypermobility                 0
57. Osteoporosis/Osteopenia          0
58. Headaches                               4  (+ pressure in head)                   
59. Tics                                        0                                                   
60. Tremors                                  3    
61. Seizures                                  0             
62. Unexplained mood changes      4
63. Anxiety                                   4               
64. Panic                                       2                          
65. Depression                              4           
66. Anger                                      3              
67. Psychosis                                 0                         
68. Memory issues                         5            
69. Trouble concentrating               5
70. Difficulty finding words            4
71. Painful periods (women)           N/A
72. Hypothyroidism                        0
73. Hyperthyroidism                       0
74. Easy bruising/bleeding              2
75. Slow healing                             1
76. Get infections easily                  0
77. Food sensitivities                       5
78.  Chemical sensitivities                5   

Total your score:                            199

What to do if you have a lot of symptoms related to Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

I hope your score came back low. That would be good news! But, if you scored 50 points or more, I strongly recommend you look further into Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. 

********************************************

The symptoms of both Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Histamine Intolerance can vary widely and involve multiple body systems. It is easy to confuse the two. Histamine Intolerance, though, is only an issue with too much Histamine. Whereas, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is much more complex.

The mast cells are present in a majority of tissues in the body and can release over 200 inflammatory mediators. The symptoms in Mast Cell Activation Syndrome tend to me wider spread and more significant than in Histamine Intolerance. I’ve observed thousands of people with Histamine Intolerance. I’ve found that many people who think they only have Histamine issues in fact also have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.

This was true for me too. For years I thought I only had Histamine Intolerance. When I read about Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, I thought that certainly couldn’t be me. Lowering histamine foods helped me a lot. And supporting the 4 histamine degrading pathways (like Diamine Oxidase and Methylation/HNMT) helped me as well. But my symptoms didn’t completely clear up.

Then I was knocked flat after getting a mild concussion, taking several trips, and getting some injuries. I just couldn’t bounce back. I finally had to face the facts that I have both Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.

Are you wondering if you might have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome too?

Take a look at the symptoms below. The important thing to remember is that you definitely don’t have to have all of these symptoms to have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Usually, people with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome have at least 2 systems that are affected. For example, you may have digestion and skin symptoms. Or you may have insomnia and chemical sensitivities.

Some people may only notice symptoms in just one system without being aware of issues in other systems.

Symptoms of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

The symptoms of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome can be divided by body systems. They can include any combination of the symptoms below. Read these symptoms to see if you relate with at least 2 categories:

• Systemic symptoms: overall fatigue and feeling bad (malaise), food, drug, environmental, and chemical sensitivities, chills, sweats, sense of being cold all the time, inflammation, swelling, swollen lymph nodes, weight changes
• Musculoskeletal Symptoms: osteoporosis and osteopenia (even in young people), arthritis that moves around, general muscular and bone pain, hyperflexible joints, degenerative disk issues
• Skin Symptoms: itching, flushing, hives, easy bruising, reddish or a pale complexion, burning sensations, dermatographia (persistent redness or white marks after scratching skin), slow healing of skin, hair loss, rosacea, psoriasis, eczema
• Cardiovascular Symptoms: feeling faint or fainting, chest pains, fast heartbeat, heart palpitations, dizziness and lightheadedness when standing up, low blood pressure
• Digestive Symptoms: mouth burning, gum inflammation, diarrhea, constipation, cramping, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, reflux, trouble swallowing, throat tightness, malabsorption, bloating, elevation of liver enzymes, high cholesterol, food sensitivities and food allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, and obesity may occur due to fat metabolism and absorption issues
• Brain and Nervous System Symptoms: brain fog, short term memory issues, trouble recalling words, headaches, migraines, depression, loss of pleasure in life, nerve pains, trouble with attention, anxiety, insomnia, dizziness, tinnitus, numbness, sweating, temperature changes, tingling and numbness in arms and legs
• Lungs and Respiratory Symptoms: congestion, coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, asthma, increased mucous production, post-nasal drip, sinus congestion, frequent throat clearing, sinus and/or nasal swelling, nasal polyps
• Eye Symptoms: eye pain, redness, trouble focusing, inflammation in the eyes, blurry, itchy, watery, irritated
• Reproductive System Symptoms: endometriosis, painful periods, male and female infertility, hormonal imbalances
• Urinary Tract Symptoms: inflammation of tissues, burning, pain with urination, urinary tract infection type symptoms
• Anaphylactic or Anaphylactoid Reactions (can be life threatening): difficulty breathing, itchy hives, flushing or pale skin, feeling of warmth, weak and rapid pulse, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and fainting
• Other conditions that may be related to Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Interstitial Cystitis, certain cancers, Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Diabetes, Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Autoimmunity, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and Multiple Sclerosis

That’s a lot of possible symptoms and correlated conditions! Remember, this is because the mast cells are in nearly all tissues in your body. The specific symptoms you will have will depend on where in your body the mast cells are being affected.