Introduction

Abstract

In recent decades, diseases and accidents caused by the aquatic environment have shown an increase year by year. They are attributable to multiple causal agents of biotic, chemical and physical type. Above all in the first category, there are innumerable animal and vegetable organisms of variable sizes, including myriads of microscopic organisms, widespread in oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, swimming pools and aquariums, that can induce many different dermatological diseases, through bites and stings, but also systemic reactions, often of a serious or even fatal nature. A knowledge of these diseases, that are sometimes commonly observed in particular geographic areas while practically unknown in others, is important for the dermatologist. In fact, the onset of such disorders can occur after the return from a holiday, and the clinician will be expected to diagnose and treat an unfamiliar disease contracted in an exotic locality, for example. Apart from the diseases caused by biotic agents via toxic, toxic-traumatic and traumatic mechanisms, various other skin diseases can be induced by direct contact with salt- and freshwater, such as aquagenic urticaria and aquagenic pruritus, cold aquatic urticaria and other conditions linked to different forms of contact with water.