Aquagenic urticaria

Aquagenic urticaria, also known as water allergy and water urticaria, is a rarely
diagnosed form of physical urticaria. The defining symptom is a itchy skin reaction
resulting from contact with water, regardless of its temperature It is sometimes
described as an allergy, although it is not a true histamine-releasing allergic
reaction like other forms of urticaria. This seems to not be affected by different
temperatures of water, such as cold or hot, or chemicals such as fluorine and
chlorine, since it is reproduced with distilled water and medical saline.
The exact underlying cause of aquagenic urticaria is poorly understood. As of
2016, the main scientific ideas about the cause are that the person is reacting to
tiny amounts of an unknown substance dissolved in the water, or that the water
interacts with or combines with an unknown substance present in or on the skin,
and that the person's immune system is reacting to this compound. Despite the
common name water allergy, this condition cannot be a true allergy to water,
especially given that the body is largely composed of water.