Chlorine allergy is not only a professional disease. A similar ailment occurs very often in those who daily come across disinfectants. A risk group includes those who are hypersensitive to substances containing chlorine.
Why is this happening? The main reason for this phenomenon is that bleach is found in almost every bottle of household chemicals designed to wash tiles, toilets and bathrooms. This substance is present even in tap water, in a certain list of medicines, finishing materials and so on.
What is such an allergy?
An allergy to bleach is an acute reaction of the immune system when exposed to the body tissue of a substance that contains chlorine. In this case, not only local symptoms may occur, but also a deterioration in the general condition of the patient.
Manifestations of allergies can occur either immediately after contact with the substance or after some time. The main symptom of the disease is conjunctivitis, urticaria, contact dermatitis, rhinitis. In more severe cases, anaphylaxis or Quincke's edema is often noted.
Main symptoms
A bleeding allergy is manifested by a variety of symptoms. Often, a harmless rash may appear on the body, and in other cases a serious consequence that requires the immediate assistance of specialists and emergency measures. Among the main signs should be highlighted:
- Allergic rhinitis. It manifests itself as sneezing attacks, which result in nasal congestion. Often there are transparent discharge in large quantities.
- Allergic conjunctivitis. With this symptom, pain, burning and itching of the eyes occurs. Such signs are often accompanied by redness of the mucous membranes and lacrimation.
Often both symptoms occur. In a similar situation, an allergy to bleach occurs in the form of rhinoconjunctivitis.
Contact dermatitis
An allergy to bleach in the pool can be manifested by contact dermatitis. At the moment, there are three main varieties of it:
- Plain. In this case, redness appears on the skin, as well as a variety of rashes with vesicles. Similar symptoms occur instantly after a person comes in contact with a chlorine-containing substance. At the same time, burning and itching can be felt on the affected areas of the skin. Inflammatory phenomena of a local nature are manifested only in those places where the skin came into contact with a disinfectant.
- Contact allergic. A similar symptom does not appear immediately. This type of dermatitis can occur several weeks after contact of the skin with a chlorine-containing substance. There are a number of distinguishing features. First of all, skin manifestations go beyond the place where the contact occurred. In this case, significant inflammation can occur with a low concentration of the substance. An allergy to bleach, a photo of the manifestations of which are given below, causes the formation of redness and blisters on the skin, characteristic of mosquito cuttings. In this case, a person may experience severe itching. Upon repeated contact with the substance, redness can go into eczema.
- Toxicoderma. An allergy to bleach, the symptoms of which can be varied, can occur when you use or inhale certain drugs, for example, halogen drugs. Also, signs can occur when using household chemicals. After all, when they are used, chlorine is also inhaled. With toxicoderma, rashes appear in symmetrical areas. In this case, the form of redness can be any. The patient in such a situation feels itchy. In this case, the formation of erosion is not excluded.
Other symptoms
How else can bleach allergy manifest itself? Photos of the skin with a similar disease, of course, are impressive. However, redness and bubbles are not the worst. Often people have urticaria. It is also an allergic reaction in which blisters form on the skin. They can have a red or white tint, and also cause itching. The sizes of the blisters are different: from 1 millimeter to 10 centimeters. Within a few days, this symptom completely disappears.
Edema and anaphylaxis
An allergy to bleach can provoke the development of Quincke's edema or angioedema. In this case, the inflammatory process penetrates into the deep layers of the skin. It is worth noting that edema can occur in almost any area. However, most often a similar sign is localized in the larynx, lips and on the gastric mucosa. If the larynx swells, then the person experiences a shortage of air. In this case, the voice may be hoarse or completely absent. If the mucous membrane of the stomach is swollen, then pain will be felt in the area of this organ.
In contact with chlorine-containing substances, an anaphylactic reaction may suddenly develop . The first signs of this phenomenon: urticaria, conjunctivitis, slowly turning into Quincke's edema. After this, the larynx is affected. It also forms edema. In this case, a person may experience bronchospasm, causing an asthma attack. Often there is abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, decreased blood pressure, as well as heart rhythm disturbances.
It is worth noting that anaphylaxis and Quincke's edema are symptoms that threaten a person’s life. With such manifestations of allergies, emergency assistance is required.
Chlorine allergy: what to do?
The treatment of such a disease is usually aimed at preventing any contact of the patient with chlorine-containing substances, as well as reducing the sensitivity to the allergen and eliminating the clinical manifestations of the disease.
What to do if you are allergic to bleach in the pool? Symptoms of such a disease are unpleasant, and often simply dangerous to human life. Allergy therapy in both a child and an adult is reduced to several main activities.
Prevention of contact with the allergen: gloves and covered clothing should be used when handling chlorine-containing substances. To avoid inhalation of a hazardous component, when using household chemicals, it is recommended to use respirators and masks. In addition, you should abandon the use of tap water and a visit to the pool.
Taking drugs
Desensitization of the body is another way to deal with bleeding allergies. In this case, the use of special medicines is provided. Pharmaceuticals offers a wide range of drugs that can suppress allergy. With such a disease, antihistamines are most often prescribed. Very popular are drugs such as Tavegil, Suprastin, Diazolin, and so on.
In addition, there are drugs that are anti-leukotrients, stabilizers of membranes of a certain type of cells, cromons, and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The main purpose of such drugs is to weaken the body's immune response to an allergen.
Specific medicines
Often a specific desensitization method is used. In this case, certain drugs that have chlorine in their composition are used. Such drugs are prescribed only by an allergist. Before this, the patient must undergo an allergic skin test. After identifying an irritant, a specialist prescribes a specific drug regimen. The essence of this method is the gradual adaptation of the body to the allergen, as well as the development of an adequate immune response to the effects of chlorine.
When to seek help
Now you know if there may be an allergy to bleach. For any manifestations of allergies, you should consult a specialist. Often, termination of contact with the stimulus is not enough. A doctor should be visited if the main symptoms of allergies occur regularly or periodically.
With a sharp decrease in blood pressure, signs of suffocation, as well as with pain in the stomach, you should call an ambulance or deliver the patient to the nearest clinic. Do not forget that an allergy to bleach is a disease that requires adequate therapy, as well as a qualified approach. In no case should you self-medicate.