What water allergy looks like as runner forced to quit sport due to rare condition
A runner was forced to quit the sport due to a rare condition that means she’s allergic to water.
Erin Cassidy first started ‘breaking out’ when she was swimming with school ten years ago and went on to develop rashes whenever she washed or exercised.
“It got to the point I couldn't do running or normal activities and it basically broke out and it was itchy and very painful. I went to the doctors and they said 'it's nothing, it must be something harsh in the water'. They said to just take antihistamine,” the 24-year-old explains. "But it was my sweat and normal water, having a bath or having a shower and even washing my face.”
She says it’s become more consistent over the last four years, but had been branded ‘ridiculous’ for suspecting she had a water allergy.
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Eventually though, after having ‘really bad stomach issues’, Erin was told she was allergic to the contact of water in September 2024.
The woman from Essex isn’t sure if those issues are linked to the condition but it’s the tests that led to doctors saying ‘you definitely have a water allergy’.
She’s had to make changes to her life since the diagnosis, such as stopping running and swimming.
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“Being young and being active all the time and with the sweat side of things it felt like it would affect my day-to-day life but as the years have gone on I've dealt with it,” Erin says. "It started off where I'd go red and blotchy on my stomach and my chest then it started spreading to my arms and back and now it's recently started spreading to my face.
"Now it's like when you get bitten by a fly and you get left with white marks. It's quite itchy and lasts about 25 minutes so it's just the urge not to itch it."
She’s found that by having ‘burning hot’ baths or showers, she can ‘last a bit longer’ but the sweat affects it so much she doesn’t know if running is ‘going to happen again’. And when it comes to washing her face in the morning, she says she has to leave time for it to calm down before going out.
"I've pretty much had to give up swimming. I would go on average four or five times a week but once the allergy started getting to the point it was too painful I just stopped,” Erin adds.
"Drinking water is absolutely fine but I have a lot of stomach issues but I'm not sure it's related. I've never been a water girl and I just love lemonade so I have at least four or five glasses a day.”
Plus, she even tries to stay ‘sheltered’ when it rains as she finds her skin will react within minutes of being outside.
Erin wants to spread awareness of the allergy that is not widely known about.
Aquagenic urticaria is a rare condition that can mean someone is allergic to water, with the person’s skin developing red, itchy hives after exposure.
Mostly affecting women, these hives typically show up on the chest, abdomen, pelvis back and/or arms. There are few reported cases of aquagenic urticaria and symptoms can last between 30 minutes and two hours, typically going away on their own.
The reactions don’t usually occur when drinking water because it doesn’t come into contact with the skin.
As the Allergy & Asthma Network explain, it can be hard to treat the condition, as avoiding water is not realistic. Antihistamines are often recommended as well as topical medications, with some patients offered phototherapy.
Always speak to a medical professional if you have any concerns.
Topics: Health
Jess Battison