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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Wine causes sneezing fits in allergic student

Wine causes sneezing fits in allergic student
Leah Miller risks another sneezing fit as she holds a glass of wine Photo: M&Y

For Leah, Miller, 19, a student at Portsmouth University, the attacks are a constant blight on her social life.

Her long-suffering friends are growing tired of saying 'bless you' and potential boyfriends scared off by the volume of her sneezes.

Miss Miller, from Purbrook, Hants, said: 'It is a nightmare because when I was out with friends I could usually avoid it but now I have met a whole new group of people.

'Nobody knows the problems I have got and everyone finds it highly amusing when they set me off.

'It is incredibly embarrassing, especially when boys are around because it is a real conversation killer. It is not like the sneezes are small or discreet either - they are really loud and everybody can hear them.'

Miss Miller said she used to be able to drink wine and suffered no other side effect other than feeling slightly light-headed, but then she began to suffer shooting pains.

'I would get terrible back cramps but then one day the sneezing started and it just has not stopped,' she said.

'I only have to see a glass of wine and it sends me off which can be incredibly annoying for my friends but it happens so often they have almost got used to it."

People with wine allergies suffer a wide array of symptoms, including migraines and breathing difficulties, but the UK Allergy Foundation said Miss Miller's condition is one of the rarest.

Original here

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