Incredible facts
Millions of people suffer from allergies, and they can be caused by more than pollen, peanuts, and pets.
Allergy is just a response of the immune system to a harmless substance and a person can basically be allergic to anything.
The strange types of allergies that have become known are:
1. Allergy to all food and drinks
This medical condition is so rare that it has not yet been given a name. There are children who are so sensitive to food and drink that water is the only food they can safely consume. One of the most serious cases involves Kaleb Bussenschutt, a 6-year-old Australian boy who can only consume water, ice and one type of lemonade. If he eats anything else, he develops ulcers and begins to experience excruciating abdominal pain. The boy gets the nutrients he needs through a nutrient tube that is connected directly to his stomach for 20 hours a day.
Doctors remain perplexed about Caleb's case, but believe that he suffers from multiple food allergies and severe malabsorption that prevents his body from coping food. A food allergy affects one in 20 children, but Caleb's allergy remains very rare.
2. Mobile phone allergy
Allergists and dermatologists are recording more and more cases of rashes related to mobile phones that appear around the jaw, cheeks and ear. In fact, allergies occur to nickel. The widespread use of mobile phones has led us to become more exposed to nickel, a metal that is often used in making phone buttons, LCD screens, and headsets. But there are also people who are allergic to electromagnetic waves from mobile phones.
Nickel allergy affects about 17 percent of women and 3 percent of men. Women are more likely to develop rashes from mobile phones due to their hypersensitivity to nickel through pierced ears. If you notice that you develop a rash after you touched coins or your skin rubbed against a belt buckle or jeans button, you may also be allergic to nickel.
3. Vibration allergy
4. Sex allergy
Believe it or not, there are people who are allergic to sex or something like that. This rare form of allergy is actually an allergy to seminal fluid, or hypersensitivity to human seminal plasma.
Symptoms include a burning sensation, rash, scarring, which is why this allergy is often confused with sexually transmitted diseases. The only real sign of a semen allergy is the fact that these symptoms appear within minutes of exposure.
According to Dr. Jonathan Bernstein from the University of Cincinnati, approximately 20,000-40,000 women have hypersensitivity to semen. The cause is still unknown, as it is impossible to know if one woman is allergic to all men. The treatment consists of wearing a condom all the time or gradually getting your body used to low doses of sperm until it gets used to it.
5. Kissing allergy
Even though a person may not be allergic to the act of kissing itself, a passionate kiss can be a kiss of death for some people who have a severe form of food allergy or allergies to cosmetics and medicines. Close physical contact and saliva metabolism can cause food particles and chemicals to be passed on to a partner, which can even be fatal if a person is allergic to a product.
This case occurred with 17-year-old Jamie Stewart, who developed anaphylactic shock and was hospitalized after kissing an employee who ate peanuts.
About 11 million Americans suffer from food allergies and about 200 of them die every year. But what if you like shrimp and your other half is allergic to seafood? Doctors say that brushing your teeth and chewing gum will not save you from problems and it is best to avoid this product completely.
6. Water allergy
Given the fact that about 60 percent of the human body is made up of water, it seems incredible that there may be water allergies, but 40 people around the world have been diagnosed this way.
Known as water urticaria, it causes painful scars on the skin when it comes into contact with water and, in severe cases, a person may have a swollen throat when drinking water.
Michaela Dutton, a UK woman who is allergic to water after giving birth to her son, is drinking Diet Coke to survive – her body is capable of doing it cope even though it contains sparkling water.
How do such people wash, you ask? Very quickly and carefully, as even brief contact with water can cause them to have an itchy rash that lasts for hours. Doctors do not know what causes water allergy, but they assume that high levels of histamine are to blame for everything.
7. Cold allergy
People with cold urticaria are allergic to cold temperatures and exposure to cool air or cold water, which causes redness, itching, rashes, and swollen skin.
While walking past a frozen food section in a store may seem a little discomfort for such people, bathing in cold water can cause a severe reaction from the whole body, starting with fainting, shock, and ending in death.
The cause of this allergy is unknown, but it is possible that some people have overly sensitive skin cells due to genetic predisposition or diseases.
8. Heat allergy
Just like cold allergies, some people are allergic to heat. People with thermal urticaria start to itch, turn red and swell when exposed to temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius.
This reaction usually occurs when body heat rises after intense training, hot showers, saunas, and even spicy foods.
9. Exercise allergy
If someone tells you they're allergic to exercise, you're unlikely to believe them. However, about 1,000 people have suffered from exercise-induced anaphylaxis, a severe exercise-induced allergic reaction that involves certain foods or medications taken before physical activity.
Tiredness, itchy skin, rashes, swelling in the neck, trunk, and extremities tend to appear during or immediately after exercise, and these symptoms can last for hours.
A more serious reaction may include symptoms such as suffocation, vomiting, high blood pressure, and even death, so these people are advised to carry an adrenaline kit at all times.
10. Touch allergy
People with dermatographism are sensitive to pressure and touch, and depending on the severity of the case, even mild touch can cause an allergic reaction that causes itchy red rashes.
It is not known why this allergy occurs, but about 2 to 5 percent of people suffer from it.
11. Allergy to modern life
Talking on a cell phone, heating food in the microwave, using a computer, cleaning the bathroom, and driving a car became a normal part of the 21st century, but doing these normal activities can cause pain in some people. A person with multiple sensitivity to chemicals experiences flu-like symptoms and headaches when exposed to many things, from perfume to laundry detergent.
There are also people allergic to electromagnetic waves from computers, phones, cars, and microwaves.
Electrosensitivity syndrome is not recognized as a separate medical condition, and doctors say it is difficult to prove a link between electromagnetic fields and poor health. But many people claim to suffer from this condition, experiencing painful rashes, headaches, nasal discharge, and swelling in various parts of the body. For example, Debbie Bird believes she is allergic to modern technology and claims that she has a rash, her eyelids swell when she gets into the car, uses the microwave, or be within the Wi-Fi coverage area. As a result, she transformed her home into a zone free from electromagnetic radiation by placing screen protectors on windows, using special paint, and even sleeping under a silver-plated mosquito with a grid.