WEBVTT - Can People Be Allergic to Water?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren bug Bomb here. When Alexandra Allen was twelve years old,

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<v Speaker 1>she did what most kids do when they're on a

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<v Speaker 1>family vacation. She went for a swim in the hotel pool.

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<v Speaker 1>Unlike most kids, though, Alexandra had a severe reaction to

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<v Speaker 1>her swim. Her skin broke out and angry, itchy welts

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<v Speaker 1>just a few short hours after leaving the water. What

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<v Speaker 1>began as an ordinary summer day ended in the eventual

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<v Speaker 1>diagnosis that would change Allan's life. She shelved her dreams

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<v Speaker 1>of living on a sailboat and working as a marine

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<v Speaker 1>biologist after discovering she was allergic to water. An allergy

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<v Speaker 1>to water seems like an improbable condition. After all, water

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<v Speaker 1>is a chief chemical component in the human body, accounting

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<v Speaker 1>for at least six of the average person's weight. Water

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<v Speaker 1>whisks toxins out of critical organs, fairies nutrients to hungry cells,

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<v Speaker 1>and creates the human conditions needed for ear nose, and

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<v Speaker 1>throat health. In short, water is essential to life. In

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<v Speaker 1>the case of water are allergies, only the skin is affected.

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<v Speaker 1>People with this condition can still safely drink water. It's

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<v Speaker 1>only when water of any temperature or origin touches the

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<v Speaker 1>skin that a hypersensitive allergic reaction occurs. The condition, known

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<v Speaker 1>as aquagenic uticaria, is called an allergy, but isn't medically

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<v Speaker 1>classified as a true allergy. It's actually an allergy like

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<v Speaker 1>reaction that belongs to a subset of physical r tucaria,

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<v Speaker 1>a group of conditions characterized by hives or welts that

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<v Speaker 1>arise from stimulation of the skin. In the case of

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<v Speaker 1>aquagenic ur tcaria, red swollen, itchy bumps form when water

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<v Speaker 1>touches the skin. This histamine reaction isn't directed at the

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<v Speaker 1>water itself, but is most likely a reaction to a

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<v Speaker 1>water soluble antigen that stimulates antibodies. Any type of water, distilled,

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<v Speaker 1>tap or rain will cause an outbreak almost immediately, and

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<v Speaker 1>can make bathing or getting caught outside in a rainstorm

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<v Speaker 1>a tortuous proposition. Aquagenic Uricaria is so rare that fewer

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<v Speaker 1>than one occurrences have been recorded in medical literature since

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<v Speaker 1>the first cases were described in nineteen sixty four. It

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<v Speaker 1>affects women more than men, and most often begins during puberty.

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<v Speaker 1>It's usually diagnosed by putting the skin into prolonged contact

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<v Speaker 1>with water. In Alan's case, physicians asked her to soak

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<v Speaker 1>in a tub to diagnose the condition. The cause of

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<v Speaker 1>these water allergies still eludes experts. One theory is that

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<v Speaker 1>sweat glands could be the culprit. It's possible that sweat

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<v Speaker 1>glands in certain people produce a toxin that leads to

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<v Speaker 1>an allergic reaction with water. While researchers remain on shore

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<v Speaker 1>of the root cause of the condition. Most cases can

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<v Speaker 1>be treated with antihistamines and controlled by avoiding contact with

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<v Speaker 1>water as much as possible. Today's episode was written by

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<v Speaker 1>Laurie L. Dove and produced by Tristan McNeil. For more

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<v Speaker 1>on this and lots of other weird topics, visit our

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<v Speaker 1>home planet, how Stuff Works dot com.