In addition to having higher blood tryptase levels, individuals with more alpha tryptase copies also report more shared symptoms. These symptoms can be associated with multiple organ systems and may be hard to explain. These symptoms may include allergic-like symptoms such as skin itching, flushing, hives, and even anaphylaxis; gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation (frequently diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome or IBS), heartburn, reflux, and difficulty swallowing; connective tissue symptoms such as hypermobile joints and scoliosis; cardiac symptoms such as a racing or pounding heartbeat or blood pressure swings sometimes with fainting; as well as anxiety, depression, chronic pain, panic attacks, and others. These patients may find that others in their family have similar or related symptoms, as this is a genetic syndrome. Others may have few if any symptoms—and would be said only to have the trait and not the syndrome associated with the trait. In cases such as these, a person may only find out because a relative was more severely affected with the syndrome.
