Research Paper on Aquagenic Urticaria

hey all! my name is Jennifer! i am doing a research paper on Aquagenic Urticaria.  I was wondering if anyone who has this allergy could let me know how it effects your life, how you cope with it and how you got it. that would be so great! Its appreciated!!! thanks! :)

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Water urticaria, or aquagenic urticaria, is a rare condition in which hives develop within 1 to 15 minutes after contact with water. The hives last for 10 to 120 minutes and do not seem to be caused by histamine release like the other physical hives. Most investigators believe that this condition is actually exquisite skin sensitivity to additives in the water such as chlorine but distilled water can also cause this reaction.


Water urticaria is diagnosed by applying tap water and distilled water to the skin and observing the reaction. Contact dermatitis can be diagnosed from your symptoms and physical examination. Blood tests and x-rays are not helpful.

Treatment of water urticaria includes epinephrine, antihistamines, or cortisone-like drugs. Itching can be controlled with cold packs or commercial topical agents that contain menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, aloe, antihistamines, or cortisone preparations.
ref:http://www.myonlinewellness.com/topic/physicallergy

Hope it helps.Take care and regards.

[jennyg3]

do you know how you get it?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Urticaria is thought to be caused due to degranulation of the mast cells causing release of histamine.Aquagenic urticaria is sometimes described as an allergy, although it is not a histamine releasing allergic reaction like other forms of urticaria; it is more a hypersensitivity to the ions found in non-distilled water.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquagenous_Urticaria

Hope it helps.Take care and regards.

[annie34pink]

my 8 year old daughter has had aquqgenic urticaria since she was 2 our lifes have been blighted by hospital appointments several medications ongoing disbelief particularly from her school and there is still no cure. She cannot play out in the sun cannot cry or wear warm clothes in case she gets hot.A two minute shower once a week is all she can have even that results in an hour of pain and rash.Her skin peels has constant mouthful of ulcers,cannot drink and rarely eats as she is in so much pain from the ulcers.We have seen five different specialists had all sorts of blood tests and still no one can help

[NPTiff]

Has anyone considered you all might have an allergy to something else like glutton.  Lots of people have these food allergies and water just makes the reactions noticeable or worse.

[NPTiff]

Try a gluten free diet.  See if this cures your hives and other painful side effects.  

[JordanB]

can you drink water if you have this affect?

[JordanB]

can you drink water if you have this affect?

[Ram51]

Please check the calcium, Hb, Phosphorus in blood at the time of pregnancy. Secondly Check the present value .of them. There si cure for this and this is due to Paralysis of skin veins. can write long but no time now.

[jonalee]

I've had aquagenic urticaria for 30 (yes - thirty) years. I started developing hives after showering when I was 16. I saw several doctors in my early 20's who all told me it was impossible to be allergic to water and yet I would break out in hives from washing dishes, swimming, sweating, putting on damp clothing, melting snow, rain... every source of water even when I lived overseas. It wasn't until recently that I went back to the doctor for it and am relieved that it really exists!
I was put on generic zertec but it made matters much, much worse. Turns out that the generic contained sodium lauryl sulfate and was probably causing the adverse reactions. I have eliminated all SLS from shampoo, toothpaste, laundry detergent, and soaps and, combined with the malaria drug Plaquenil, I'm feeling better than ever. I still get one or two hives with every shower but I've gotten very good at ignoring them.
Aquagenic Urticaria is probably an autoimmune disease and not an allergy. However - there are a lot of chemicals and allergens that could also be causing reactions or making reactions worse. Keeping a diary of things you've tried and changes you've noticed can help pinpoint things that normally get overlooked.

[aquagenic2012]

It's not Gluten related.  Guaranteed.  

[aquagenic2012]

Yes Jordan, because it only happens on the skin.