A 40-year-old man presented to an allergy clinic in Texas with a severe burning rash on his hands. Blisters also appeared on his skin. Disturbing symptoms occurred after squeezing the limes.
A 40-year-old woman developed severe burns on her hands. Then, after a few days, the rashes appeared, and after a few weeks, the skin turned black and scaly. Not knowing what to do, the man went to an allergy clinic in Texas.
As it turned out, this 40-year-old man squeezed the juice of 12 lemons by hand before the rash appeared, and then went to an outdoor football game without applying sunscreen to his hands. Doctors diagnosed him with phytophotodermatosis. The case was described in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.
Phytophotodermatosis or “lime disease”
Phytophotodermatosis is also called “lime disease”. This is a chemical reaction that sensitizes the skin to UV rays. It is often confused with atopic or chemical burns.
Phytophotodermatosis is caused by furanocoumarin chemicals, which are found in citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, and oranges. Furanocoumarins can penetrate skin cells. Their toxic effect is activated by ultraviolet rays. These substances can cause cell death and inflammation when exposed to light. This can cause darkening of the skin.
A 40-year-old man was given steroid cream. The entire treatment lasted several months.
Ars Technica, tvnmeteo.pl
Main image source: Adobe Stock
