| name | openmcas-report-trigger |
| description | Capture a new MCAS trigger pattern (food, smell, physical, chemical, stress, infection, toxin, hormonal, medication) and add it to data/triggers/MCAS_Triggers_v1.csv with pathway mapping and linked counter-compounds. Triggers when the user says "report a trigger", "add this trigger", "I noticed when I'm around X I flare", or similar. |
Report a new MCAS trigger pattern
You are helping a contributor (often a patient or caregiver) record a
trigger they've noticed. Their pattern adds signal to the
trigger → pathway → counter-compound map.
Guardrails (read first)
- Never solicit PHI. No names, diagnoses, dates of care, clinician
identities, medical-record content.
- Patterns only. Category, onset, duration, what helps. Always.
- Never give medical advice. Surface counter-compound hypotheses
from the library; never tell the contributor what to take.
- Anonymize at intake. The contributor's submission is their pattern,
not their identity.
Information to collect
Ask only what's missing:
- Trigger category — food / smell-VOC / physical / stress /
infection / toxin / hormonal / medication / other.
- Specific trigger — e.g. "aged cheese", "perfumes", "hot showers",
"morphine", "menstrual cycle".
- Onset after exposure — minutes vs hours vs delayed (24+h).
- Duration — how long the flare lasts.
- Symptom domain — skin / GI / respiratory / neuro / cardiovascular
(just dominant systems, no specifics).
- Anything that blunts it — if the contributor identifies any
counter-strategy (pre-medication, environmental control, specific
supplement), capture it.
- Suspected pathway (optional, only if they have a guess) —
MRGPRX2, FcεRI, histamine liberator, substance P, etc.
Where it goes
Add a row to data/triggers/MCAS_Triggers_v1.csv with columns:
| Column | Value |
|---|
trigger_category | from step 1 |
specific_trigger | from step 2 |
pathway_receptor | suggested if known; otherwise leave generic ("direct mast cell sensitization", "unclear") |
evidence_level | high (multiple patients / published), medium (single patient + published mechanism), low (one-off) |
linked_injury | best-fit row id from data/injury_mechanisms/MCAS_Injury_Mechanisms_v1.csv |
linked_compounds | semicolon-separated names from data/compounds/seeds.json that plausibly counter the pathway |
hypothesis_seed | one-line: "[Trigger] activates [pathway]; [counter-compound] hypothesized to blunt via [mechanism]." |
Updating the prose
Append a short note to hypotheses/triggers.md under the relevant
category section. Keep the tone neutral and the framing as hypothesis.
Counter-compound suggestion logic
Use this lookup when proposing linked_compounds:
| Pathway | Reasonable counter-compounds (hypothesis only) |
|---|
| MRGPRX2 (chemicals / smells / opioids / contrast / venom) | resveratrol, quercetin, luteolin, cromolyn, ketotifen |
| FcεRI / IgE (allergens) | omalizumab, cromolyn, ketotifen, flavonoid stack |
| Histamine liberator / DAO insufficiency | DAO, vitamin C, quercetin, low-histamine diet |
| Substance P / neurogenic stress | luteolin (BBB), quercetin, LDN, baicalein |
| Oxidative / Nrf2 suppression | sulforaphane, NAC, α-lipoic, EGCG |
| Gut barrier / LPS | butyrate, curcumin, quercetin, baicalein, omega-3 |
| KIT-driven (clonal) | masitinib, avapritinib, midostaurin |
| Xenobiotic / mold / TILT | sulforaphane, NAC, silibinin, α-lipoic |
These are hypotheses, not recommendations. Always preface with
"hypothesized counter-strategy: …" in any user-facing message.
After the row is in
Offer to commit + push:
git add data/triggers/MCAS_Triggers_v1.csv hypotheses/triggers.md
git commit -m "Add trigger: <category> / <specific>"
Or open a GitHub issue from the trigger report template
if the contributor would prefer that flow.
When to escalate
If the contributor describes a severe / anaphylactic trigger pattern or
appears to be asking for medical advice on managing the trigger,
politely stop the intake and direct them to:
- A mast-cell-knowledgeable clinician (TMS list at tmsforacure.org).
- Emergency care if a flare is active or imminent.
We are documenting patterns for research, not providing care.
