30 Things That Make People Statistical Anomalies, And It Shows How Bizarre Biology Can Be

Pollen, dust, animal, and certain food allergies (e.g., to nuts, shellfish, and dairy) are fairly common. But their severity has a huge range. You probably know someone who has hay fever (hey!) or can’t be around cats or dogs for a long while without sneezing (hi again!). Or you may have a person in your life who has to carry around an EpiPen in case they get stung by a bee or accidentally ingest food that has traces of nuts.

Other allergies are incredibly rare. So rare, in fact, that you may not even have heard of them before. According to Penn Medicine Becker ENT & Allergy, some of the most uncommon allergies known to medical science include water allergy, also known as aquagenic urticaria. In short, people who suffer from it develop itchy and painful hives when their skin comes into contact with water. So, they have to limit their exposure as much as possible.

Another very rare allergy is sun allergy, aka polymorphous light eruption (PMLE). Similar to aquagenic urticaria, PMLE means that people’s skin develops hives, but this time when exposed to sunlight, not water. People with PMLE have to avoid exposing large areas of their bodies to the sun and manage their symptoms with the help of sunscreen and antihistamines.

Some other rare allergies include cold urticaria (allergy to cold temperatures, whether that’s air, water, food, or beverages) and exercise-induced anaphylaxis (allergy to exercise which means you may need to have emergency adrenaline shots if you’re too physically active). And in some cases, you can find individuals who have cholinergic urticaria (sweat allergy) and nickel allergy (essentially, an allergy to coins).

What makes you a statistical rarity or total anomaly, dear Pandas? Do you have any bizarre allergies? Were you born with any genetic quirks? Have you ever been in a million-to-one situation?

How have all of these niche experiences affected your life? Would you rather be one-of-a-kind or have more things in common with everyone else? Let us know in the comments!