A young girl is so allergic to water that she can’t cry or shower without breaking out in painful hives.

Abigail Beck, from Tucson, Arizona, and suffers from Aquagenic Urticaria, which means her body is incredibly sensitive to water.

The 15-year-old, who was diagnosed last month, can’t even drink water without being sick, sticking instead to energy drinks or pomegranate juice.

“My own tears cause a reaction where my face goes red and burns really badly,” she said.

“I cry like a normal person and it hurts. Tears are one of the worst parts of it because when you cry, your tears shouldn’t burn your skin.

“It runs my life but I don’t want it to. I throw up if I drink water, my chest hurts really bad and my hearts starts beating really fast.”

She added:

“I have to check labels but everything in this world has water in it. The last time I drank water was a year ago.

“I’m scared that if it gets out of control one day, no one will know what to do including myself.”

Aquagenic urticaria develops rapidly after the skin comes in contact with water, no matter how hot or cold it is.

It most commonly affects women, with symptoms often starting around puberty.

Because her reactions are so serious, Abigail only showers once every couple of days and drinks just the tiniest amount of water.

She also has to take rehydration pills as well as antihistamines and steroids to tackle the reactions.

The teenager first started experiencing symptoms three years ago, but she was only able to get a proper diagnosis very recently.

Abigail recalled:

“When it rained it hurt really badly, it felt like acid.

“I thought it was normal so I asked my mum if rain felt like acid to her when it rained and she said no.