Eighteen-month-old Ivy Angerman, of Hastings, Minnesota, has an odd allergy that causes her pain, rashes, hives, and blisters when she comes in contact with water.
Aquagenic Urticaria
The toddler was diagnosed with the rare condition called aquagenic urticaria, which makes her allergic to water. She is allergic even to her own sweat and tears. Her face swells up when she cries.
Her mother, Brittany has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money so the family can move to a new home, where there is purified water system and central air because these would limit the severity of the child's condition.
"Having very pure water seems to help along with taking my medicine, unfortunately we live in a very old house and the water isn't the best here either. Now my family and I are going to have to find a new home with a well, a purified water system, and central air, as this would greatly limit the severity of my reactions," reads the GoFundMe page.
No treatment is currently available for sufferers of this rare allergy. The toddler's only treatment is antihistamine, which helps lessen the reaction time. Brittany said that they want other people to know that this condition exists and how life-changing it is.
Allergy to water is rare but there are other things that oddly cause allergic reactions to some people. Here are some of them:
Semen
Semen allergy, also known as seminal plasma hypersensitivity, causes allergic reaction to the proteins present in a man's semen. The condition mostly affects women but there have been cases of men being allergic to their own semen. Symptoms, which typically occur between 10 and 30 minutes after contact and in areas exposed to semen, include swelling, pain, redness, itching, and burning sensation. The symptoms can last for a few hours or up to a few days.
All Food
Some people are allergic to particular food such as peanuts but Kaleb Bussenschutt is allergic to all kinds of food. He cannot eat and the only things he can put in his mouth are water and a brand of lemonade. A machine pumps nutrients directly into his stomach.
Cold Temperatures
For some people, swimming in a cold swimming pool or going out into the frigid weather without protective clothing can cause them to break out in hive. The condition is known as cold urticaria, or cold hives. It causes itching, redness, and swelling after exposure to cold.
