Water allergy

I went to a dermatologist on Friday 5-12 because I break out in hives everytime I get in water.(Shower, hot tub, pool, sweat). He told me I have developed an allergy to water.  He then proceeded to draw blood, and then re-injected it into my arm.  When I asked him what that was supposed to do, he replied" I don't know how it works, but they are doing it at the Mayo clinic, and it works".  I've since learned that this procedure is called blood doping, and that it is illegal.  What effect, if any will this have on my alleged water allergy?  Is it dangerous?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Christine:

I am not familiar with this technique.  My textbook of "Advanced Dermatologic Therapy" does not mention it.  I can't see that it would necessarily be harmful, since the blood is your own  (I don't know about it's being "illegal," though, either.)  But I also don't know why it should work.  Perhaps you should find another dermatologist, who proceeds along more orthodox lines, such as the use of systemic antihistamines.

Meanwhile, ask you dermatologist for medical references bearing on the subject.

Best.

Dr. R

[vincent]

To Christine (or any other doctors who read this):
Just so you don't feel alone in the matter, I've suffered from the same condition since early adolescence.  The redness appears primarily on my chest/abdominal area following swimming/showers/sweating, but it seems to go away within the hour.  I am 20yrs old now and the only mention I made of it to a doctor got me a puzzled look.  There is only a mild discomfort involved in the breakouts, no pain & little itching, but one can understand it's quite embarrasing to tell people you're allergic to water since there doesn't appear to be enough research on the subject to offer a more reasonable explanation.

[patrick]

To offer a little peace of mind with regard the alleged "blood doping," you might want to read what they have to say at www.urticaria.net:  "When a part of the patient's own blood is injected into the top layer of his/her skin, a hive occurs, suggesting that there is something in the patient's own blood that can cause a hive to occur in the skin..."  To my understanding, blood doping actually refers to a method used by athletes to withdraw oxygenated blood cells following exercise and reinject them just prior to competition,  an issue that probably has no real bearing on matters relating to dermatology.

[nancy]

To Christine,
Although I am only 14, I to understand your allergy, Exept If I'm in contact with water or sweat too long I can bearly breath, so I can't play sports as much as my coaches want me to, so It gets somewhat frustrating when I can't explain it to my peers. I hope you find the answer to your question.

[nancy]

To Christine,
Although I am only 14, I to understand your allergy, Exept If I'm in contact with water or sweat too long I can bearly breath, so I can't play sports as much as my coaches want me to, so It gets somewhat frustrating when I can't explain it to my peers. I hope you find the answer to your question.

[Carl Landers]

I too have this allergic reaction to showers, sweat, or just about anytime my body's core temperature increases past a certain point plus either my own sewat or me taking a shower causes my hives.

I've learned of two medical conditions:

a.) Cholinergic Urticaria -- Which is caused by the action of acetylcholine on your own mast cells. This is characterized by small, pale itchy papules surrounded by reddish areas. This is the Rash-Reaction like while or after taking a hot shower.

b.)Exercise-Induced Anaphlyaxis -- which for the hard-to-breath condition after showering or exercising.

[reba]

I have dealt with this problem about 2 years ago.  Everytime any water got on me (pool, sweat, shower) I broke out in hives all over my torso.  There was so much itching and it was embarrasing having to exercise and scratch under my bra-line the whole time.  The doctor didn't tell my I was allergic to water, but he prescribed a simple drug Claritin and I only had to take one a day before bedtime and all the symptoms stopped immediately.  After a month of it I got off of the medicine and haven't had a problem since.  If it comes back, I'll just resume the medicine.  Also, many times when I got low on pills I would only take half the dosage and that also worked just as well. I think the hives are cyclical.

Hope that helps.

[Chris40]

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[babybeckib22]

I have suffered from this condition for as long as I can remember. Iv tried lots of hay fever tablets as I thought it was an allergic reaction, but when I went to the doctors he told me it was a skin condition which I'd always have and there was nothing I could do about it. I also only break out in hives on my torso and face. Iv now just learnt to live with it. From Rebecca aged 23

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