You probably have a glass (or a fun, eco-friendly water bottle) next to you or in your bag right now to meet your hydration goals for the day. And drinking enough water is very important. After all, about 60 percent of your body is made up of moisture. But for some people, water is not the ultimate thirst quencher and can actually be detrimental to their health.
Although extremely rare, water allergies are very real. This reaction occurs when your body releases histamine when it comes in contact with water on your skin. Of course, it can happen by taking a shower, swimming at the beach, or even just drinking a glass of water.
If you are thinking, Wait, how is that possible? That’s a fair question, because this phenomenon sounds completely crazy. But consider all your questions answered. Ahead, a dermatologist explains everything you need to know about water allergies. Plus, people who suffer from water allergies explain what it’s like to live with a water allergy.
Before we get into that, let’s talk a little bit about water allergy, medically called aqueous urticaria or aqueous pruritus.
If you are allergic to water, you may be diagnosed with one of these two symptoms. Urticaria is the medical term for the appearance of a skin rash or hives, while pruritus refers to itching or skin discomfort. The former (aqueous urticaria) is generally more severe, explains Dr. Sapna Palepu, a board-certified dermatologist at Spring Street Dermatology in New York City.
Although only about 50 to 100 cases of aqueous urticaria have been reported in the medical literature, many more people may be affected by it, especially in developing countries. Older research suggests that watery urticaria is more common in women than men and that most people are diagnosed during adolescence. On the other hand, a 2017 study suggests that aqueous pruritus may be slightly more common.
The cause of water allergy is not completely clear.
Dr. Palepu says most cases of watery urticaria are sporadic and have no clear underlying cause, but it can be hereditary.
Physical triggers for the reaction include both still and running water, fresh water, salt water, body fluids such as sweat and tears, and sometimes urine. In patients with aquagenic pruritus, histamine is released by mast cells (immune-boosting cells in connective tissue that alert the body to foreign substances such as bacteria and allergens), causing symptoms such as itching, hives, swelling, and itching. It causes a characteristic allergic reaction. It’s on fire, explains Dr. Palepu.
In most cases, doctors do not need to test patients for water allergy. You can diagnose your symptoms by listening to them. However, if the patient is not sure, the doctor can perform a so-called water provocation test to determine whether there is a water allergy. In this test, a cloth dampened with room-temperature water is applied to the patient’s skin and the patient’s reaction is carefully observed.
Water allergy has a variety of symptoms, most of which are unpleasant to say the least.
For people with aquagenic pruritus, external symptoms include itching, pain, and burning. For people with aqueous urticaria, water can cause a full-blown rash with hives and welts. Dr. Palepu says the reaction can occur immediately, but usually occurs within 20 to 30 minutes of skin contact with water.
In mild to moderate cases, the hives, rash, and itching tend to subside within 30 minutes to an hour, but that can be an hour of incredible pain, discomfort, and itching. In rare cases, it can cause a life-threatening reaction. “Very few people go into anaphylaxis, but if the histamine builds up to the point where you start wheezing, you can go into anaphylactic shock,” Palepu says. People with these heightened reactions should carry an EpiPen.
Dr. Palepu said the reaction can occur internally and can spread to other organs, such as the gastrointestinal tract, even if they are not in direct contact with the water. For example, Tessa Hansen-Smith, who uses her Instagram account @livingwaterless to raise awareness about aqueous urticaria, suffers from irregular periods due to allergies and takes special medication to stop her periods. Sometimes I had to. “The pain was so bad that I had to use a monophasic contraceptive pill to stop my periods. The extra fluid that comes with menstruation became too much, and I started having severe cramps, to the point where I couldn’t move from the pain. “We did that,” Hansen-Smith explains.
Some people with this allergy cannot even drink water.
And let’s be real, drinking water is hard to come by. Usually, in mild cases of aqueous urticaria or aqueous pruritus, drinking water is safe and may not cause external symptoms. However, in severe cases, this can cause gastrointestinal upset. Hansen-Smith gets severe stomach cramps from drinking more than a few ounces of water, so she drinks whole milk instead. “Sugars, fats, and proteins help water molecules get past your immune system, keeping you hydrated,” she says.
For most people with some kind of water allergy, the bigger problem is having water on their skin for long periods of time, such as when washing their face, taking a bath or shower. Although these activities are safe, they can be very uncomfortable during and after. There is no cure or surefire way to protect yourself from taking a shower or bath, sweating on a hot day, or even a sudden rainstorm.
Nia Selway, an influencer who openly discusses her aquagenic pruritus with her followers on YouTube, has suffered from the condition for the past five years and says the simple process of getting clean is the most frustrating. I feel that there is. “Baths and showers are the longest lasting and most intense situations for me, because they are not only excruciatingly painful, but also scary. Instead of giving in to the pain and giving up, you have to fight with your body and clean it. ‘Because I need to shave and shave,’ that’s the challenge at hand,” Selway says.
Other bodily functions that she cannot control, such as sweating and urination, also cause severe itching reactions. “I think it’s incredibly scary to have an allergic reaction to your own sweat, because it’s even more difficult to control your sweat glands than it is to avoid spills or the weather,” she added. .
Treatment for water allergy usually involves taking allergy medications and lifestyle adjustments.
Most people with water allergies must take non-sedating antihistamines, such as Xyzal, on an ongoing basis for showers, workouts, and inclement weather. For patients with chronic hives, Dr. Palepu explains, doctors may prescribe omalizumab to reduce the body’s sensitivity to the allergen.
However, dependence on these drugs can increase over time, especially as symptoms progress with age. For example, Hansen-Smith now relies on 12 pills to get her through the day, but when she was first diagnosed 13 years ago, she only took one Claritin pill before taking a shower. It was done.
For mild or moderate cases of hives, dermatologists may suggest phototherapy, Dr. Palepu says. This treatment uses narrowband UVB radiation, which research has shown helps suppress the immune system’s response to allergens in some patients’ skin cells.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many other treatments for people with water allergies. “All you can do is be grateful for what you learned along the way and the strength that inevitably comes from enduring so much pain,” Selway says. Unexpectedly, it can even cause a water allergy. ”
Mara is a freelance writer and editor specializing in culture, politics, health, and their intersections, and her print and digital work has appeared in Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, and Airbnb Mag. , “Prevention”, etc. She’s a graduate of Fordham University and also has a degree in Italian Studies, so it’s only natural that she daydreams about focaccia all the time.
