Strong emotions, excessive sweating, or laughing too hard could all be fatal for a gymnast who is allergic to everything. Her own hair could also be fatal. Natasha Coates of Nottingham has been hospitalized more than 500 times due to a unique disease that causes her to have daily itching, swelling, and migraines.

In an interview with the Mirror, Coates described how her condition causes her to be simultaneously allergic to everything and nothing.

She said: “I’m allergic to strong emotions. Any changes to my body’s status quo – whether I’m laughing, crying, sad or stressed – can cause a chemical reaction. It happens almost every day and I’ve been hospitalized more than 500 times.

“When I feel it starting, I get upset and try to suppress it, otherwise I’ll have a worse reaction – it’s a vicious circle. 

“I have a rare condition called mast cell activation syndrome. When a nettle sting gives you a raised, itchy bump, that’s caused by histamine, a chemical that comes from your mast cells. In my body, those mast cells are hypersensitive. 

“They release too many chemicals in response to a minor attack – like a nettle sting or food intolerance. My body even does it spontaneously – releasing the chemicals for no reason. So I’m allergic to nothing and everything, all at the same time.” 

According to Mast Cell Action, Mast cell mediators are released excessively or abundantly in MCAS patients, as well as in reaction to “triggers that are not normally thought to be dangerous,” such as meals or environmental toxins.

Specific triggers differ from person to person, and additional influences might range from stress and changes in temperature to scents and exercise.

Coates recalls how she was taken to the hospital one evening after going into anaphylactic shock during a night out with friends.

She said: “When you’re on a night out with friends and you go into anaphylactic shock just from laughing too much, it puts a downer on the evening. But that’s what happened to me a couple of years ago. 

“We were having a good laugh when my tongue and throat swelled up. One friend called an ambulance, while another helped me use my EpiPen to stop me from choking and suffocating to death. They stroked my hair, telling me I’d be OK as I lost consciousness before being whisked into intensive care. Quite the end to a night out.” 

In order to raise awareness of her “life-threatening disability,” gymnast Coates now posts information about it on Instagram.

In order to properly comprehend the “exact cause and mechanism” of MCAS in many people, according to Mast Cell Action, further research is required.

Those with MCAS are at an increased risk of anaphylaxis after being exposed to a trigger, with Mast Cell Action warning of the ‘ABC signs’ to look out for: Airways – ‘look for a persistent cough, swollen tongue or lips, and difficulty swallowing’; 

Breathing – ‘look for difficulty breathing and wheezing’; and Circulation/Consciousness – ‘look for reduced blood pressure, confusion, and collapsing’.

Source: unilad.co