• Question: can someone be allergic to water

    Asked by hawk46can to Amy Heather on 11 Nov 2019.
    • Photo: Amy Heather Fitzpatrick

      Amy Heather Fitzpatrick answered on 11 Nov 2019:


      So an allergy is when our immune system over reacts to something in our environment, food on our skin etc that is probably not harmful. Lots of foods and grasses that people have allergic reactions to our not harmful for us, but sometimes the immune system messes up and sends the wrong signals. These signals or immunoglobulin E antibodies results in a reaction which could be a rash, sneezing, anaphylaxis (throat closing up, finding it hard to breath).

      I had never heard of a water allergy but I looked it up and find out that in very rare cases, Aquagenic urticaria can happen. SO only 50 people in the entire WORLD have ever been diagnosed. That’s crazy! Which is an allergic reaction to water. The problem is our bodies are made up of 70% water, so the scientists who work with this allergy think that the allergy is not to the water only but maybe to something very small in the water or a reaction of the water with some bacteria on the skin.

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