5 Unusual Allergies that are Not Uncommon
Most people are aware of many of the typical allergies that a lot of individuals suffer from, but did you know that there are many unusual allergies that are kind of common? Some of the classic allergies or allergic conditions that most people have heard about include hay fever (i.e., allergic rhinitis), food allergies, medication allergies, insect sting allergies, asthma, hives (i.e., urticaria), and eczema. There are however some unfamiliar allergies that exist that one may want to be aware of, as they are not uncommon.
Allergy to Vibration
The medical term for this allergy is vibratory urticaria. Individuals with this condition develop hives on the skin where they have been exposed to vibration or repetitive stimulation. Individuals who work with jackhammers may develop hives on their hands. People who mow the lawn may get hives on their hands or if they use a riding lawn mower, they may also develop hives on any part of their body that vibrates. Hand clapping and drying oneself with a towel are also common causes. The hives may be accompanied by itching, swelling, and/or local redness. They generally occur within 10 minutes after stimulation of the skin and typically last less than 2 hours, although more severe reactions are known to occur. Treatment is based on prevention, antihistamines, and other medications.
Allergy to Kissing
This actually is usually due to the person being allergic to a medication, cosmetic, and/or specific food such as peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish, although any food can cause this condition. There are reported cases of allergic individuals that have kissed another person who had recently eaten a food that the allergic individual was allergic to resulting in an allergic reaction in the allergic individual. The allergic reaction can be mild (e.g., itchy lips, itchy mouth, rash on lips, rash in mouth), moderate, or severe (e.g., hives, wheezing, shortness of breath, throat swelling, anaphylaxis), which can be life-threatening. In fact, there have been fatalities documented. Understanding what allergies you have is the first step to preventing this type of unwanted allergic reaction.
Allergy to the Sun
Often referred to as solar urticaria, this condition and is characterized by itching, burning, and hives in sun-exposed areas of the body. In some individuals, they can occur on parts of the body that are covered by thin light clothing. The symptoms usually occur within a half-hour of sun exposure and usually lasts for a few hours after there is no more sun exposure. The disorder can occur from natural sunlight or artificial lighting. Treatment generally involves avoiding sunlight, antihistamines, Xolair (i.e., omalizumab) injections, and/or UV light treatments.
Allergy to Money
This may sound made up, but it is not uncommon for some individuals to develop rashes on their hands which usually begins about 24-48 hours after handling coins. The rashes can consist of blisters, redness, and/or dry skin and be accompanied by itching. The nickel in the coins is usually the culprit and nickel allergy is a fairly common cause of this contact dermatitis. People who handle money often such as cashiers and bank tellers, as well as jewelers (i.e., jewelry often contains traces of nickel) are more prone to this condition. People with this condition may also be bothered when they eat foods that are high in nickel (i.e., cocoa, soybeans, kidney beans, cashews, spinach). In addition to avoiding nickel, the treatment may include antihistamines, moisturizing creams, corticosteroid creams, and oral corticosteroids.
Allergy to Exercise
If you don’t feel like exercising, you may have a legitimate reason why. Exercise may cause many symptoms that are found in other allergic conditions. Exercise in some individuals may be a trigger and cause that individual to wheeze, become short of breath, develop chest tightness, and/or cough. This is often referred to exercise-induced asthma. In others, exercise may trigger generalized itching (i.e., pruritus), hives, swelling (i.e., angioedema), and/or anaphylaxis. These symptoms generally occur within minutes of completion of an exercise routine, but can occur during exercise itself. The symptoms generally subside within 3 hours. In a more unusual and rare condition, there is a condition where an individual will develop any of the above symptoms if they eat a certain food within 2 hours of exercising. These individuals can exercise without problems and they can eat that certain food without problems, but if they consume that food and exercise within 2 hours, the allergy or asthma symptoms occur. The foods most commonly associated with this condition include celery, shellfish, wheat, nuts, legumes, and seeds, although any food can trigger this condition referred to as “food-dependent exercise-induced” asthma, pruritus, urticarial, angioedema, and/or anaphylaxis.
The board certified allergists at Black & Kletz Allergy have treated numerous patients with all of the above conditions in the Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland metropolitan area for more than 50 years. We treat both adults and children and we have offices in Washington, DC, McLean, VA (Tysons Corner, VA), and Manassas, VA. All 3 offices of Black & Kletz Allergy have on-site parking and the Washington, DC and McLean, VA offices are Metro accessible. There is a free shuttle that runs between our McLean, VA office and the Spring Hill metro station on the silver line. If you would like to be seen for hay fever, asthma, hives, swelling episodes, generalized itching, eczema, insect sting allergies, food allergies, medication allergies, or any other allergy or immunologic condition, please call us to make an appointment or alternatively, you can click Request an Appointment and we will respond to you within 24 hours of the next business day. Black & Kletz Allergy is proud to continue to provide high quality allergy and asthma care to the Washington, DC metropolitan area.