Treating Chlorine Allergy Through Desensitization
Chlorine allergy is a sort of allergy where people who are allergic to the chlorine will have sensitivity reactions when they come in contact with the chemical. The typical symptoms become noticeable on various parts of the body. The most renowned athlete who has allergy to chlorine is Ian Thorpe. This Australian citizen has garnered many Olympic gold medals from numerous swimming competitions. It’s ironic that a celebrated swimmer like him was formerly allergic to chlorine.
The chief cause of the sensitivity reaction of the body to chlorine is not yet identified. Many scientists are mystified since chlorine does not comprise any form of protein. Usually, many classes of proteins cause varying allergic responses. Though the chemical is unsafe to human beings, it is still being commonly used in millions of households. It can be functional in cleaning and disinfecting the toilet. The chemical is also mixed in the swimming pools to disinfect the water. Furthermore, we also take in chlorine daily in the form of NaCl, commonly recognized as table salt.
Can you envision a public swimming pool wherein numerous individuals are swimming in it? There is a very good chance that the water would be very dirty if chlorine was not combined. But, if you have chlorine allergy, you would definitely not swim in it either.
Usually, symptoms experienced are reddening of the skin, skin itching, red eyes with burning sensation, irritation of the nasal passages, inflammation of the lips, sneezing, coughing, and colds. Nevertheless, there is also a small probability that a potentially fatal anaphylactic attack can occur. The severity of the symptom experience varies accordingly. Thankfully, there are numerous drugs that can manage the presenting symptoms.
Chlorine allergy is infrequent and affects not so many individuals. For those unfortunate individuals who are allergic to chlorine, a physician may recommend desensitization. Desensitization occurs when a person is purposely exposed to a modest concentration of chlorine that would permit the body to get used to it without stimulating fatal and serious symptoms. This method is very successful in most cases. Ian Thorpe also eradicated his chlorine allergy by making use of this method. After being desensitized, he joined the national team to compete in the Olympics and won six gold medals for his country.
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