Can You Be Allergic to Water? What are the Odds?
Can you be allergic to water? An allergy associated with water is called “water urticaria” (aquagenic urticaria). The condition is very rare, and many researchers believe the allergic reaction is basically caused by certain additives (chlorine) added into the water source. Fluoride may also play a key role in some cases.
Aquagenic urticaria reactions, as supposedly caused by water contact can manifest as red rash or welts. The causes of such reactions to water are not yet known officially, and even though it can possibly result to increased levels of histamine in the blood, we still cannot justify it as an allergy. Research has been afforded into the matter, but with the rarity and uniqueness of the case, anyone can have a very difficult time in making out the exact problem.
Can You Be Allergic to Water? – Going Deep
Another issue worth noting is “Aquagenic pruritis,” a condition resulting from water exposure at any temperature level. Its symptoms (sudden itching, burning and even some prickly sensation) can easily form up in just minutes. Most of the time you can expect no skin changes at all, although anyone can randomly experience some faint and bumpy red rash occurring randomly. Known symptoms reportedly last from several minutes to hours, and can be felt on the arms, legs, the chest and the back. While the medical community have yet to determine the real cause of the condition, it had been suggested that the culprit is an extreme sensitivity on the skin when in contact with certain minerals in the water.
Regarding the treatment options, using capsaicin cream and applying it directly on the affected area twice or thrice a day should provide relief as it had did for others. Other options that anyone can explore would include antihistamines and beta-blockers (suchmedication types are used for addressing cardiovascular diseases), ultraviolet Bphototherapy and prescription-required leukotriene-receptor antagonists.
While the cold urticaria phenomenon also produces an itching sensation with affected individuals, the main differences would often lie on the causes of the redness manifestations and the resulting pain and swelling of any skin part that is left unprotected after water or cold air exposure. Even when you simply hold a cold drink, the swelling can already form up on the hand holding the cup. We usually find ourselves dealing with the condition by applying ice cubes on the affected skin for some minutes. However, in the case of unaffected individuals, this would already mean redness into the skin. It must also be noted that the red and itchy swollen skin all over the affected area in the case of the cold urticaria will simply come back within minutes after removing the ice cubes.
It was discovered that any contact with cold substances is what characterizes the most common cold urticaria type. There were additional conditions however that may fit into the scene, like paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria, the familial cold urticaria and others. These things can also result to similar, and to some extent life-threatening reactions (a drop in the blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, etc). So, can you be allergic to water? What are the odds?
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