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One of my friends is having Eosinophilia (the eosinophil count in the peripheral blood should be in the range 0-5×10^8/L, in her case it's 12.)

She says that she has many allergies like from dust, etc.
One day she was out with me in the sun, we were hugging each other and she suddenly said,"Ok, I'm feeling strange.". I looked at her forearms, they started showing little red dots like that in case of prickly heat rash. We weren't sure if it was the sun or it was something else.

I want to know if pheromones in human beings can cause allergy?

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  • How long was she in the sun?
    – TanMath
    Commented Jan 17, 2016 at 6:23
  • @TanMath For about half an hour.
    – ABcDexter
    Commented Jan 17, 2016 at 8:29
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    I think this can be reworded to be a neutral question, but the current formulation makes it a personal advice one. It should also probably be separated - when you ask both about sun and "pheromones" at once, it invites speculation of which one was the reason in your back story. Plus, you will have to specify what you mean by pheromones, as there are no obvious candidates in humans.
    – rumtscho
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 12:08
  • @rumtscho I am looking for all the plausible causes for the red dots on her skin, it could be the sun or pheromones(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheromone#Humans) or even her past history with medicines. Also, the answer given is good, it explains a lot.
    – ABcDexter
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 12:38
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    @ABcDexter if you are looking for all plausible causes in this one case, then the question should be closed. This is the very definition of "personal medical advice" - wanting to know what happened in one specific case, for one specific person. Otherwise known as "giving a diagnosis".
    – rumtscho
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 12:50

1 Answer 1

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People can get allergy to sunlight. It is called photosensitivity or sun allergy. The most common form of this is known as polymorphic light eruption (PMLE), also known as sun poisoning[1,2]. This is characterized by redness of the skin found on the arms, wrists, neck, and other areas. Here is a picture of this:

Polymorphic light eruption

(From here)

Based on your description, this is what is going on. Your friend has mild PMLE. Pheromones have nothing to do with this problem at all.

How does this happen? Scientists aren't fully sure. However, what we do know based on our knowledge of allergies is that the sun-exposed skin. The sun must be altering the skin in some way[2].

How does this have to do with eosinophilia? Well, eosinophilia means there is more eosinophils and eosinophils are responsible for allergies, so there will be more allergic reactions to more things. However, eosinophilia and photo-sensitivity both are symptoms of drug allergy[3]. Perhaps your friend is allergic to some drug. For example, I found that eosinophilia and photosensitivity could be an allergy to Lisinopril[4]. I am not sure about the drug history of your friend so I cannot say anything more but she should go to the doctor for sure.

References

  1. Mayo Clinic - http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sun-allergy/basics/symptoms/con-20035077

  2. Drugs.com - http://www.drugs.com/health-guide/sun-allergy-photosensitivity.html

  3. Patient.info - http://patient.info/health/drug-allergy-leaflet

  4. MHRA UK Public Assesment Report (UKPAR) for Lisinopril - http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/par/documents/websiteresources/con054513.pdf

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    It would be helpful if you could show whether this is associated with eosinophilia.
    – Susan
    Commented Jan 17, 2016 at 8:00
  • @Susan I agree with you, TanMath can you please relate it with the eosinophilia.
    – ABcDexter
    Commented Jan 17, 2016 at 8:30
  • @TanMath The reddish dots on her skin were not so profound, they were less crimson and spread near her wrist.
    – ABcDexter
    Commented Jan 17, 2016 at 11:57
  • @Susan The details about eosinophilia have been added.
    – TanMath
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 10:02
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    @ABcDexter This is still a symptom of PMLE, but a much milder form.
    – TanMath
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 10:03

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