 "US woman claims she's allergic to water: What is aquagenic urticaria?")
Water consumption is essential to bodily function.
So it would appear that having a water allergy makes survival difficult.
An allergic reaction, however, is a rare consequence of skin contact with water.
The same is the case with a woman from the United States, who claims that she is allergic to water and is unable to shower as it causes her severe itching.
Loren Montefusco, 22, said, “It’s been difficult to navigate as a young woman.”
Here’s all we know about the allergy.
The extremely rare case of water allergy
The condition that Montefusco is suffering from is called aquagenic urticaria, a kind of hive that manifests as a rash upon contact with water.
The 22-year-old South Carolina resident claimed that if she takes a shower or comes into contact with water in any other way, her itching might last for up to an hour.
“It feels like the itch is deep below the surface of my skin. I try my hardest not to itch, but I can’t help it,” she said, according to the New York Post.
“I just have to ride it out. I claw at my skin to put myself in more pain so I don’t feel it irritation of the itching,” she said, adding that there is no way to alleviate the pain.
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More Shorts“Nothing helps it or stops it [and] it can last up to an hour. Nothing actually appears on the surface of my skin, as it feels like it comes from deep beneath my skin, but my body becomes red and irritated from where I itch,” she was quoted as saying by Dailymail.
This was something the University of North Carolina Wilmington student first observed when she was twelve years old, but it grew worse with time.
When she finally visited a doctor three years later, her condition was determined.
According to the New York Post, as the allergy has no known cure, Montefusco takes short showers and as few baths as she can to lessen her suffering.
The chilly air and the act of washing or shaving her body can exacerbate her agony, so she then makes sure to change into new clothes as quickly as possible.
Being in pools, hot tubs, or the ocean, as well as sweating, might exacerbate her bath rash.
“I have tried washing myself using a cloth and water, but it’s still using water and causes an allergic reaction,” Montefusco said, adding that she uses dry shampoo to make her shower real quick.
She asserts that the only safe solution is to use “body wipes.”
Her body has suffered mentally as well from the pain. “I thought it was disgusting that I try not to shower,” she said.
Luckily, she was able to connect with people who don’t take showers and share her issue on social media.
She said that she felt much “less gross” as a result.
“It has helped me to find other sufferers and see that others have the same struggles as me because it makes me feel less disgusting about the fact that I have to refuse to shower,” she said.
What is aquagenic urticarial?
According to Business Insider, people with aquagenic urticaria get hives whenever their skin comes into touch with water, whether through sweat or tears.
Aquagenic urticarial is only brought on by skin contact and not by drinking water.
There are just 50 to 100 known cases of this highly rare illness worldwide, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Usually, starting around puberty, problems affect women more often.
Typically, the hives measure one to three millimetres in diameter and are red in colour. Usually, they show up on the arms, chest, and neck.
Certain people could also get itchy.
After the removal of water, the rash normally goes away in 30 to 60 minutes.
Although the exact source of the allergy is unknown, it is believed that a chemical or allergen in water, rather than the water itself, may be the cause and create an immune response.
The majority of instances happen at random and have no family history of the illness, as per Dailymail.
Skin reddening, welts, or a rash, as well as burning or prickling sensations, are possible symptoms.
Doctors will perform a physical examination to determine the patient’s symptoms in order to make a diagnosis.
A water challenge test is another one they might use. In this test, a person’s upper chest is compressed with room temperature water for 30 minutes to see if they react.
Owing to the condition’s uncommonness, not much is known about the most effective ways to treat it; however, some treatments include steroids, antihistamines, UV radiation therapy, barrier creams, and sodium bicarbonate baths.
It’s quite stressful to manage
While reactions might vary in intensity and frequency, most patients have them daily, often multiple times a day, according to Marcus Maurer, MD, a professor of dermatology and allergy at Berlin’s Charité University Hospital.
“Since water contact cannot be avoided, patients know that they will develop wheals, and this results in anxiety, depression, and high-stress levels,” Business Insider quoted him as saying.
A 2019 study published in Medical Science Monitor indicated that patients with all forms of chronic urticarial, including aquagenic urticarial, had greater levels of depression and anxiety.
A case involving an 18-month-old baby who had an allergic response to her own tears surfaced in 2018.
Ivy has itchy, burning hives on her skin when she comes into contact with water, even her sweat and tears, according to People magazine.
With inputs from agencies
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