Treatment

Treatment may vary, depending on the type of systemic mastocytosis and the body organs affected. Treatment generally includes controlling symptoms, treating the disease and regular monitoring.

Controlling triggers

Identifying and avoiding factors that may trigger your mast cells, such as certain foods, medications or insect stings, can help keep your systemic mastocytosis symptoms under control.

Medications

Your doctor may recommend medications to:

• Treat symptoms, for example, with antihistamines
• Reduce stomach acid and discomfort in your digestive system
• Counteract the effects of the substances released by your mast cells, for example with corticosteroids
• Inhibit the KIT gene to reduce the production of mast cells

A health care professional can teach you how to give yourself an epinephrine injection in the event that you have a severe allergic response when your mast cells are triggered.

Chemotherapy

If you have aggressive systemic mastocytosis, systemic mastocytosis associated with another blood disorder or mast cell leukemia, you may be treated with chemotherapy medications to reduce the number of mast cells.

Stem cell transplant

For people who have an advanced form of systemic mastocytosis called mast cell leukemia, a stem cell transplant may be an option.

Regular monitoring

Your doctor regularly monitors the status of your condition using blood and urine samples. You may be able to use a special home kit to collect blood and urine samples while you're experiencing symptoms, which gives your doctor a better picture of how systemic mastocytosis affects your body. Regular bone density measurements can monitor you for problems such as osteoporosis.