College student Caitlin McComish loves to play soccer. The only problem is, she’s severely “allergic” to her own sweat.
According to a report this week, McComish, a student at the University of Toledo and a member of the school’s women’s soccer team, almost died last year after going into anaphylactic shock during a run. “I had a really upset stomach, tingly palms and the bottoms of my feet,” she said of the frightening experience. “I was really, really itchy. It hit me like uncomfortable heat waves. Then I could feel the swelling in my throat, and my tongue got tingly and thicker.”
Fortunately, the young woman was able to call for help and survived the sudden attack; but her ordeal had really only just begun.
In the following months, McComish reportedly went into shock a staggering 17 times.
McComish, it turns out, has severe cholinergic urticaria, a hives disorder triggered by exposure to heat and sweat. The condition is relatively common but its symptoms are typically mild. A 1994 study into the prevalence of cholinergic urticaria found that about 11 percent of young adults ages 15-35 exhibited symptoms of the disorder, but that “reactions were mostly mild and restricted to fleeting, pinpoint-size wheals.”
Avoiding triggers is one recommended treatment option for people who suffer from cholinergic urticaria, but for an avid sportswoman like McComish, that would’ve been a tall order.
Luckily, she has reportedly shown a “dramatic response” to Xolair, a drug typically used for asthma, and is now back on the soccer field
Source: Huff Post