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Allergy is an insidious disease, every year it affects an increasing number of people, and the list of substances that cause it is expanding more and more. We are already accustomed to the fact that an allergy can occur to any food product, cosmetics, plant pollen, medicines, and even seemingly harmless baby soap. And not so long ago (in 1964) an allergy to water was recorded!
How is this possible? After all, we all remember the school curriculum in biology, where it was said that the human body is 80% water. Water is vital for people. It turns out that a person suffering from an allergy to water should not drink, wash, or get caught in the rain?
As such, an allergic reaction to water in its pure form (that is, to the combination of hydrogen with oxygen) is extremely rare - less than a thousand such cases are known in the history of medicine. Experts believe that an allergic reaction is caused by certain substances contained in the water.
Allergy to chemical additives in water
In modern conditions, an allergy to tap water is becoming more and more common.
Why? Most allergists are inclined to believe that chlorine and its compounds cause an immune reaction. It is no secret that tap water is disinfected with chlorine and, although its content rarely exceeds the established norms, for some people these values are critical. Such people cannot afford to take a bath, wash themselves, drink water from the tap, cannot even wash their hands without provoking an immune response. We are not talking about the pool at all.
Another aggressive component of tap water, according to experts, is fluorine and its various compounds. With all the undeniable benefits of fluorine for the body, its excess can lead to disruption of metabolic processes, malfunctions of the immune system, liver, and kidneys. In people suffering from fluoride intolerance, a characteristic symptom appears - dark spots on tooth enamel.
An allergy to tap water can be triggered by any component that has entered the water after cleaning, both for the purpose of disinfection and as a result of its transportation through the water supply system, the state of which is deplorable in the vast majority of regions. On the way to our apartments, a huge amount of impurities (salts, metals) get into the water, any of which can cause an allergic reaction. Few people know that tap water even contains substances used in chemical bleaches, and one can only guess what effect they can have on the body.
Allergy to "living" water
Someone might think that
water from natural reservoirs (rivers, lakes, seas) can be a salvation for people suffering from an allergy to tap water. This is not entirely true. In places with unfavorable ecology, water in natural sources can also contain a large amount of impurities, metals, salts, to which the immune system will react negatively. Even such sea water, which is useful for strengthening body systems, is unsafe, a large amount of salts are dissolved in it, which can provoke an allergic reaction.
Drinking mineral water can also cause allergies, again due to the presence of various mineral salts in it.
Symptoms of the disease
Allergy to water appears immediately after contact with water and disappears within 15-60 minutes after the skin dries. The main symptoms are:
- redness, dryness, skin irritation;
- severe itching of the affected areas;
- hives , rash, blisters;
- headache;
- dry cough;
- rhinitis, lacrimation;
- nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain.
A feature of this type of allergy is that the symptoms may increase with an increase in the number and duration of contact with water. However, until the stage of anaphylactic shock or Quincke's edema, the reaction does not develop, at least not a single such case has been recorded so far.
Causes of the disease
Allergy to water can be acquired, that is, it can occur for the first time at any age. Provoking factors can be:
- Long-term use of antibiotics.
- Diseases of the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract.
- Metabolic disorders.
- Impaired production of immunoglobulin E.
- The presence of other allergic reactions.
- Tumor diseases.
- Poor environmental conditions in the region of residence.
Failures in the work of the filtering and digestive organs, excretory organs, can lead to the accumulation of harmful substances in the body, and as a result, the normal functioning of the immune system is disrupted.
Methods of treatment
Often, skin manifestations of allergies disappear on their own within 15-60 minutes from the moment of cessation of contact with water. This process can be accelerated by applying external agents (ointments, creams, gels, emulsions, etc.) with antihistamine action.
In cases where the allergy symptoms have not gone away within a few hours after the skin has dried, you can take antihistamine medications that are available: Suprastin, Tavegil, Loratadin, Erius, Zirtek.
With any suspicion of an allergy, it is necessary to visit an allergist to identify the specific substance to which the immune system reacted. After conducting a survey, skin tests, a series of tests, the specialist will indicate the range of drugs that are acceptable for use, and give recommendations on how to prevent an allergic reaction in the future.
Preventive measures
If with any other type of allergy the essence of treatment and prevention is to exclude contact with the allergen, then water allergy is a special case. It is impossible to completely eliminate contact with water, but you can try to minimize it:
- reduce the time for taking hygiene procedures to 2-3 minutes;
- washing with water is replaced by rubbing the face with special make-up removers;
- do housework with gloves;
- to disinfect hands, use special antiseptic wipes, gels, lotions;
- drink only boiled water;
- if contact with water is unavoidable, use boiled water;
- install good water filters in the house.
If the cause of water allergy is chlorine, fluorine and other components of tap water, you can use well water, water from springs in everyday life.
If the root cause is poor ecology, you may have to change your place of residence to a more prosperous region in this regard.
If you suspect an allergy in a child, you should first exclude a reaction to soap, washing powder, decoctions of herbs used in bathing. Only boiled cooled water should be used for water procedures of the child.
In any case, it must be remembered that an allergy to water, having arisen once, will remain for life, it is impossible to cure it. Therefore, it is necessary to visit a specialist in order not to start the course of the disease and deal with its manifestations as effectively as possible.
