Tessa Hansen Smith is an Instagram celebrity who has gotten into the news, who claims she's been diagnosed with aquagenic urticaria and because of it, she is internally allergic to water, as well as externally. She cannot drink water because it causes an internal allergic reaction. She says she has to drink milk instead, which is not as bad. She explains this is because the fats and proteins surround the water molecules, allowing them to sneak past her immune system. She also cannot tolerate intravenous saline for hydration either, because her blood cells are also allergic to water molecules.
Since the water molecule is too small to cause an immune response since they are not big enough to trigger IgE antibodies (according to immunology books I've read, allergens have to be on the order of ten thousand daltons as a minimum, to cause an immune response - and water is only eighteen daltons), why are there several people claiming to both have aquagenic urticaria and also an internal allergy to water molecules?
Since the water molecule is too small to cause an immune response since they are not big enough to trigger IgE antibodies (according to immunology books I've read, allergens have to be on the order of ten thousand daltons as a minimum, to cause an immune response - and water is only eighteen daltons), why are there several people claiming to both have aquagenic urticaria and also an internal allergy to water molecules?
