BrainStuff Classics: Can People Be Allergic to Water?

OK, it's not technically an allergy, but yes: People can have extreme skin reactions to water. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff Lauren bog Obam here with a classic episode
from our archives. There's a much greater awareness these days
of allergies and sensitivities, which is great for those of
us who have, for example, specific dietary needs, but of

(00:21):
all the things that people avoid to keep themselves feeling okay.
Our question of the day is can people be allergic
to water? Hey brain Stuff, Lauren bog bomb here. When
Alexandra Allen was twelve years old, she did what most
kids do when they're on a family vacation. She went
for a swim in the hotel pool. Unlike most kids, though,

(00:44):
Alexandra had a severe reaction to her swim. Her skin
broke out and angry, itchy welts just a few short
hours after leaving the water. What began as an ordinary
summer day ended in the eventual diagnosis that would change
Allen's life. She shelved her dreams of living on a
sailboat and working as a marine biologist after discovering she
was allergic to water. An allergy to water seems like

(01:06):
an improbable condition, After all, water is a chief chemical
component in the human body. Accounting for at least six
of the average person's weight. Water whisks toxins out of
critical organs, ferries nutrients to hungry cells, and creates the
human conditions needed for ear, nose, and throat health. In short,
water is essential to life. In the case of water allergies,

(01:27):
only the skin is affected. People with this condition can
still safely drink water. It's only when water of any
temperature or origin touches the skin that a hypersensitive allergic
reaction occurs. The condition, known as aquagenic uticaria, is called
an allergy, but isn't medically classified as a true allergy.
It's actually an allergy like reaction that belongs to a

(01:48):
subset of physical r tucaria, a group of conditions characterized
by hives or welts that arise from stimulation of the skin.
In the case of aquagenic your tcaria, red swollen, itchy
bumps form when water touches the skin. This histamine reaction
isn't directed at the water itself, but is most likely
a reaction to a water soluble antigen that stimulates antibodies.

(02:10):
Any type of water, distilled, tap or rain will cause
an outbreak almost immediately and can make bathing or getting
caught outside in a rainstorm a tortuous proposition. Aquagenic Ured
caria is so rare that fewer than one occurrences have
been recorded in medical literature since the first cases were
described in nineteen sixty four. It affects women more than men,

(02:31):
and most often begins during puberty. It's usually diagnosed by
putting the skin into prolonged contact with water. In Alan's case,
physicians asked her to soak in a tub to diagnose
the condition. The cause of these water allergies still alludes experts.
One theory is that sweat glands could be the culprit.
It's possible that spet glands in certain people produce a

(02:51):
toxin that leads to an allergic reaction with water, while
researchers remain unshore of the root cause of the condition.
Most cases can be treated with antihistamines and controlled by
avoiding contact with water as much as possible. Today's episode
was written by Laurie L. Dove and produced by Tristan

(03:11):
McNeil and Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots
of other sensitive topics, visit house toffworks dot com. Brainstuff
is production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts from my
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