Allergic to water!
By AutumnGold
@AutumnGold (1056)
August 5, 2010 1:07pm CST
I just saw the news on TV, they were talking to a woman here in the UK who is allergic to, of all things, water! Can you imagine living without water? She can't bath, shower, wash, wash the dishes and she can't even go out when it's cloudy in case it rains. Have you heard of this condition before?
3 people like this
13 responses
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
5 Aug 10
I wish you had a link or something to this Autumn because I find this very hard to believe. The human body averages I believe 70% water, but then I did find this..http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517576,00.html
I am not a doctor, but if you ask me, I am sure it is something in the water itself..I mean she can drink carbonated water from the diet coke. I wonder if she is allergic to distilled water? Because it doesn't say, yet it says that even her sons tears she breaks out..Something just isn't right here and I hope they come up with a known cause for this because drinking just diet coke is going to kill her..
1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
5 Aug 10
Oh tell me about it, I love swimming too and haven't been able to yet this year with all we have going on..So this might be the first year in my entire life summer goes by and I don't go swimming..
It would be interesting to see if she does get sick from drinking the coke, that can't be good..
It would be interesting to see if she does get sick from drinking the coke, that can't be good..1 person likes this
@AutumnGold (1056)
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5 Aug 10
Hello Carmel. The woman on the news tonight said she can only drink coke so maybe this is the same woman although the link was from 2008. Yes the body is mostly water, we can't live without water so this allergy is almost impossible yet there are 30 sufferers alive with that allergy. I'm glad I'm not allergic to it, I love swimming and taking a shower 
1 person likes this
@AutumnGold (1056)
•
5 Aug 10
I love to swim, I spend loads of time swimming in the sea when we go on holiday. We have a public pool here but I can never find the time to go, always too tired after work or things to do at home. Yes all that coke can't be doing her any good and her teeth will rot.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
8 Aug 10
I never heard of it. I heard of people being allergic to chemicals and it could be that she is allergic to something in the water. I do wonder how she keeps herself clean.
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@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
8 Aug 10
I would not mind if there were a link on the net so I could read about it. It must be hard on her as I bet she really does want to feel cleaner and cannot do it. I hope there is something that can be done for her. Has she had this all her life? And is it genetic? that is, do her children have a chance of inheriting it?
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@AutumnGold (1056)
•
8 Aug 10
Hello Suspenseful. I was shocked when I saw the story on the news, only thirty people in the world suffer from it. I've heard she showers for about twenty seconds at a time then has to just put up with the pain. What a terrible way to have to live 
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@AutumnGold (1056)
•
9 Aug 10
She developed the allergy when she reached adulthood. It's not genetic, at least that's a good thing.
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@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
5 Aug 10
Yes, it is possible to have an adverse reaction to water. There seem to be three separate (and all quite rare) conditions, all of which involve exposure to water and which are sometimes described (loosely) as 'allergic reactions'.
There is a very good article which explains the three conditions and what one should do if you have, or suspect that you have, one of them: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/allergies/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100154510
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
5 Aug 10
The Fox News link given above doesn't work without a bit of fettling. Here is the link to the original Daily Mail article http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1172102/Mothers-allergy-water-means-drink-bathe-wipe-away-sons-tears.html which says that she has 'aquagenic urticaria' (another name for the same thing, I think: 'urticaria' literally means 'nettle burn' whereas 'pruritis' is Latin for 'itch').
Even rainwater is not 'pure' water. It is generally a weak solution of carbonic acid produced by the absorption of carbon dioxide from the air.
I feel very sorry for this lady! I hope that they find relief for her soon!
1 person likes this
@AutumnGold (1056)
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5 Aug 10
Hello Owlwings. Thank you for the link, the woman seems to be suffering from aquagenic pruritis. Perhaps these disorders are so rare that people assume they're allergies when in fact they're not. If she can drink coke then it has to be the added purifiers in tap water that cause her condition but she did say rain can cause it. It's confusing to say the least.
@AutumnGold (1056)
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6 Aug 10
Thanks again for providing a link 
I feel sorry for her too, she can't live a normal life and the simplest things are a challenge to her.
I feel sorry for her too, she can't live a normal life and the simplest things are a challenge to her.
@bluemoonpavilion (4658)
• Singapore
6 Aug 10
Poor lady! 
I was thinking maybe it could be psychologically linked too since she developed it as an adult. I imagine she can't live very long if this goes on.
Can anyone be cured of their allergies? I know of a girl who's allergic to mangoes since young and I feel so sorry for her not being able to enjoy this delicious fruit.
I was thinking maybe it could be psychologically linked too since she developed it as an adult. I imagine she can't live very long if this goes on.
Can anyone be cured of their allergies? I know of a girl who's allergic to mangoes since young and I feel so sorry for her not being able to enjoy this delicious fruit.1 person likes this
@bluemoonpavilion (4658)
• Singapore
6 Aug 10
Maybe she has some issues with her family that are unresolved. I hope they can get to the bottom of it. It sounds really serious if she can't even go out into the rain.
You've never tried mango before? OMG! It's one of the nicest fruits in the world. Just a personal preference though 
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@AutumnGold (1056)
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6 Aug 10
I've had mango chutney, in fact I love mango chutney so the fruit itself might be even nicer. I must try it
@AutumnGold (1056)
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6 Aug 10
Hello Bluemoon. It could be psychological, she seems to be able to drink coke which obviously contains water so pure water probably causes a subconscious reaction which triggers the symptome. I know some people "grow out" of their allergies but I don't think they can be cured. I've never tried mango, I think I'll add one to my shopping list
@AutumnGold (1056)
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5 Aug 10
Hello Sjaswon. Allergic means when your immune system reacts badly towards a certain thing. An example is hay fever, allergic to pollen.
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@AutumnGold (1056)
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5 Aug 10
Yes allergies are really bad, some people die because they're allergic to nuts. I'm only allergic to pollen, it makes me sneeze and have runny eyes so it spoils summer for me.
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@MrDollars (454)
• Australia
10 Aug 10
Yes I have heard about this but I think the girl I saw lived here in Australia. Poor thing, she would go red if water touched her. Must really suck.
I don't know all that much about it but must get pretty damn irritating.
$-MrDollars-$
@AutumnGold (1056)
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10 Aug 10
Hello MrDollars. There are only thirty known cases in the world. I can't imagine living without water, I drink gallons of it when it's hot, much more satisfying than fizzy drinks.
@MrDollars (454)
• Australia
11 Aug 10
Hellooooo.
Yeah I couldn't imagine living without water either. I admit I do not drink as much water as I should be but if it were ever to disappear, I would miss it.
$-MrDollars-$
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@Linda4ualways (2282)
• United States
5 Aug 10
Okay, no! I have never heard of this before and I feel absolutely terrible for her. I mean, is this true? Water is beneficial to life and it is a necessity. We need water to do almost EVERYTHING! How is she supposed to cook. I pray that if that's true that a cure will come up or they will find out the main reason why she is allergic to water. It could be something IN the water that she is allergic to as opposed to the water itself.
. I mean, is this true? Water is beneficial to life and it is a necessity. We need water to do almost EVERYTHING! How is she supposed to cook. I pray that if that's true that a cure will come up or they will find out the main reason why she is allergic to water. It could be something IN the water that she is allergic to as opposed to the water itself.1 person likes this
@AutumnGold (1056)
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5 Aug 10
Hello Linda. It seems impossible but I saw the story on the news tonight. Maybe she's allergic to something in water rather than water itself but any contact with water makes her skin burn and she gets covered in blisters and swellings.
@gwendaal (42)
• France
8 Aug 10
i mean the ph , how much acid it contain and the like. the molecular configuration of water make it very reactive so it impossible for her to be allergic to it , so there a componenent that cause it , she just need pure water i mean with only the h20 and nothing else in it.
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@AutumnGold (1056)
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9 Aug 10
Hello Gwendaal. Yes it's a mineral but the doctors are unable to find out what it is. The news report was quite vague so I'm not able to add more, sorry.
@voldrox (7191)
• India
6 Aug 10
That is so unfortunate to happen.! It must so troublesome for her. All of the things, water! I don't think there is anything worse to which a person can be allergic towards. Hope medicine has something to offer her, to make her life little bit more comfortable. Allergy is one thing and phobia of water is another. That is even worse. 
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@AutumnGold (1056)
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6 Aug 10
Hello Voldrox. Yes the allergy must be worse than a phobia. A lot of people are scared of large amounts of water but we need water to survive. Apparently she can tolerate it for a few seconds, long enough to have a quick shower and get clean.
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@mychickencurry (317)
• Philippines
6 Aug 10
Oh? Is it really possible? How did she survive without drinking water and taking shower? How about her saliva, its also water form right? If that is real I bet she will never live for a long period of time.
;0
@AutumnGold (1056)
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6 Aug 10
Hello Mychickencurry. Apparrently it's true, she's not expected to live much longer if the doctors don't find a cure or effective treatment. She developed the allergy later in her life and it's progressing so if she doesn't get help soon it will just get worse.
@m_perez (506)
• United States
6 Aug 10
Yes I have actually seen this though I didn't see it on the news I saw it on a talk show called the tyra show. I really can't imagine being allergic to water it must be one of the most horrible things to be allergic to well actually it is the most horrible thing. She said she does take showers but she takes 30 second showers. The only thing she can drink is diet coca-cola. She also said that she can't hold her child for a long time because the moisture from his skin gives her an allergic reaction. Since it rains a lot in the uk she has to stay indoors all the time and when it's summer she needs to make sure that she doesn't sweat.
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@AutumnGold (1056)
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6 Aug 10
Hello M_Perez. I'm glad someone else has seen it, some people seem convinced that I imagined it We need water for absolutely everything so yes it must be hard to have to avoid it. I hope the doctors find a way to treat her soon, poor woman.
We need water for absolutely everything so yes it must be hard to have to avoid it. I hope the doctors find a way to treat her soon, poor woman.
@catalady (363)
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18 Aug 10
Hello Autumn, I am including some references that people can look at concerning this condition - they are not about the woman you are talking about in particular, but other people who have a similar disorder
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1172102/Mother's-allergy-water-means-drink-bathe-wipe-away-sons-tears.html
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-520329/The-teenage-girl-allergic-WATER.html
There are quite a few references to do with this online, hope this is informative
