British woman: “I’m allergic to exercise”

A British woman has told of her rare and dangerous allergy to exercise.

Kasia Beaver, a mother-of-four from Redditch, Worcestershire, says that if her heart beats too fast, her face swells up and she is in danger of going into anaphylactic shock, ABC News reported.

The 33-year-old is among a rare group of people who suffer from a condition known as exercise-induced angioedema (EIA).

While no exact figures are available, Brian Smart, M.D., an allergist and immunologist at the DuPage Medical Group Asthma and Allergy Center in Glen Ellyn, Ill., believes EIA affects one in 1,000 people, Self Magazine reported.

Doctors have told Beaver that running for a bus, jogging or chasing after her children could kill her.

She told the Daily Mail she suffered her first attack when she 20 and after finally being diagnosed she now carries medication and an epiPen to treat anaphylactic shock. 

"When I get an attack, my eyes swell up and start to itch. Within five minutes, they're completely closed. It's terrifying, especially if I'm alone with the children."

She recalls one incident when she was ice skating with her husband and suffered a serious attack, which required her to use an epiPen to control the swelling. 

EIA is seen most often in people in their 20s and 30s, according to Smart, Self Magazine reported.