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Considered a water allergy, aquagenic urticaria causes a bad rash to appear after you touch water
A 25-year-old British woman is afflicted with a rare water allergy, known as aquagenic urticaria, which prevents her from even taking a bath. According to Kendal Bryce, a shower or being caught in a sudden rain leaves her with painful hives and swelling all over the body that feel like “being scorched by flames.”.
For Kendall, the ultra-rare condition has been a torment, as she cannot clean herself properly. Even drinking water triggers a searing burning sensation.
While there is no effective treatment for Kendall’s condition, she is left to grapple with the relentless pain. "It really is a daily struggle. I can only have a bath or take a shower twice a week because of how excruciating the pain is—so I constantly worry I stink,” she told the Daily Express.
Kendall fears the changing weather
Kendall says she is super scared of the weather, as she needs to constantly dodge the rain or high humidity—both of which make her urticaria worse. "I've never been able to give my one-year-old son a bath. My mom has to do it for me. And I even feel my throat burning when I drink water," she said.
She detailed the increasing severity of her pain over the years: "When it started, it felt a bit like I was getting nettle stings all over my body. But now it feels like someone has taken a lighter to my body. It's excruciating."
What is aquagenic urticaria?
Considered a water allergy, aquagenic urticaria is a rare form of urticaria or hives that causes a bad rash to appear after you touch water. The hives may appear red or similar to the colour of your skin tone.
According to experts, it is a form of chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU) associated with swelling, itching, and burning. Medical literature has so far listed only 37 reports of aquagenic hives since 1964. Most cases begin in or shortly after puberty and are most common in women.
Signs and symptoms of aquagenic urticaria
While the hives in this condition mostly appear scratchy and stinging, doctors say they usually occur around the arms, legs, and neck. Within minutes of being exposed to water, people with this condition can experience:
- Reddening of the skin
- Burning or prickling sensation
- Welts
- High inflammation
- Itchy rashes around the mouth
- Swelling on the lips
- Difficulty swallowing
- Wheezing
- Breathlessness
What causes aquagenic urticaria?
While doctors say they do not know what causes it, lots of studies and research are going on to determine the exact cause of aquagenic hives. The allergy-like symptoms you may experience from this rash may be from the release of histamines.
When you have an allergy, mast cells underneath your skin release histamine, which can trigger allergy-like symptoms depending on what body part is affected. However, it is unclear why water causes the release of histamine.
How can you treat aquagenic urticaria?
While there is no cure for aquagenic hives, doctors say a few treatment options are there to relieve the symptoms. For short-term relief from itching and swelling, you can take an antihistamine—a medication used to treat allergy-like symptoms.
For flare-ups, even phototherapy is recommended as it helps by thickening the top skin layer and preventing water from getting under the skin. If you suddenly become breathless due to hives, you can also use an EpiPen—an auto-injector pen that contains epinephrine, your fright-flight hormone.
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