Skip to main content

Cold urticaria

Cold urticaria



Overview

Cold urticaria (ur-tih-KAR-e-uh) is a reaction that appears within minutes after skin is exposed to the cold. Itchy welts, also called hives, arise on affected skin.

Symptoms in people with cold urticaria can range from minor to serious. For some people with this condition, swimming in cold water could lead to low blood pressure, fainting or shock.

Cold urticaria occurs most often in young adults. If you think you have this condition, check in with your healthcare team. Treatment usually includes steps to keep cold urticaria from happening, such as taking antihistamines and staying away from cold air and water.

Symptoms

Cold urticaria symptoms may include:

Temporary itchy welts, also called hives, on the area of skin exposed to cold.

A response that worsens as the skin warms.

Swelling of the hands while holding cold objects.

Swelling of the lips from eating cold food or drinking cold beverages.

Serious responses may include:

A whole-body reaction, also known as anaphylaxis. This can cause fainting, a racing heart, swelling of limbs or trunk, and shock.

Swelling of the tongue and throat. This can make it hard to breathe.

Cold urticaria symptoms begin soon after the skin is exposed to a sudden drop in air temperature or cold water. Damp and windy conditions may cause symptoms to flare up. Each bout of symptoms may last for about two hours.

The worst reactions generally occur when all of the skin is exposed to cold, such as when swimming in cold water. These reactions could lead to fainting and drowning.

Causes

No one knows what causes cold urticaria. You could have sensitive skin cells due to a virus or an illness or from a trait passed down in your genes. In the most common forms of this condition, cold causes the release of histamine and other chemicals into the blood. These chemicals cause itching, and they sometimes affect the whole body.

Risk factors

You're more likely to have cold urticaria if:

You're a young adult. The most common type — primary acquired cold urticaria — occurs most often in young adults.

You have another health condition. A less common type is secondary acquired cold urticaria. A condition such as hepatitis or cancer can cause it.

You have certain traits. Rarely, cold urticaria is passed down to you in your genes. This type causes painful welts and flu-like symptoms after being exposed to cold.

Complications

The main possible complication of cold urticaria is a serious response that occurs after large areas of skin are exposed to the cold, such as when swimming in cold water.

Prevention

These tips may help stop cold urticaria from happening:

Take an antihistamine available without a prescription as directed before being exposed to the cold.

Protect your skin from the cold or sudden changes in temperature. If you're going swimming, dip your hand in the water first to see if your skin responds.

Stay away from ice-cold drinks and foods to keep your throat from swelling.

If your healthcare professional prescribed an epinephrine autoinjector, keep it with you to help stop serious responses from happening.

If you're scheduled for surgery, talk with your surgeon ahead of time about your cold urticaria. The surgical team can take steps to help keep symptoms caused by cold from happening in the operating room.

Diagnosis

An ice cube is placed on your skin for five minutes to diagnose cold urticaria. If you have cold urticaria, a raised bump, also called a hive, will form a few minutes after the ice cube is taken away. This is called the ice cube or cold contact test.

In some cases, another condition, such as an infection or cancer, causes cold urticaria. This condition affects your immune system. If your healthcare professional thinks you have another condition that could be causing cold urticaria, you may need other tests.

Treatment

In some people, cold urticaria goes away on its own after weeks or months. In others, it lasts longer. While there is no cure for the condition, treatment and taking steps to avoid cold urticaria can help.

Your healthcare professional may recommend that you try to keep symptoms from happening or reduce those symptoms using home remedies. These remedies include antihistamines available without a prescription and staying away from the cold. If these treatments don't help, you may need prescription medicine.

Medicines used to treat cold urticaria include:

Nondrowsy antihistamines. If you know you're going to be exposed to the cold, take an antihistamine ahead of time to help keep a response from happening. Examples include loratadine (Claritin, Alavert, others), cetirizine (Zyrtec Allergy, Zerviate, others), and desloratadine (Clarinex, Clarinex D 12-Hour, others). Some of these medicines are available without a prescription, while others require prescriptions.

Omalizumab (Xolair). This prescription medicine, which is typically for people with asthma, has been used successfully to treat cold urticaria that doesn't respond to other medicines.

If you have cold urticaria because of another condition, you may need medicines or treatments for that condition as well. If you have a history of responses that affect your whole body, your healthcare professional may prescribe an epinephrine autoinjector (EpiPen, Auvi-Q, others) that you'll need to carry with you.

Type of Doctor Department : A dermatologist or an allergist

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Charge Syndrome

Overview CHARGE syndrome is a recognizable genetic syndrome with known pattern of features. It is an extremely complex syndrome, involving extensive medical and physical difficulties that differ from child to child. CHARGE syndrome is correlated with genetic mutation to CHD7 and the prevalence of CHARGE syndrome is 1:10,000-1:15,000 live births. Babies with CHARGE syndrome are often born with life-threatening birth defects. They spend many months in the hospital and undergo many surgeries and other treatments. Swallowing and breathing problems make life difficult even when they come home. Most have hearing two little girls sitting on a carpet, one girl has a trach and is biting her finger.loss, vision loss, and balance problems that delay their development and communication. Despite these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, children with CHARGE syndrome often far surpass their medical, physical, educational, and social expectations. One of the hidden features of CHARGE syndrome is the ...
7 comments
Read more

Acral Peeling Skin Syndrome

Overview Acral peeling skin syndrome is a skin disorder characterized by painless peeling of the top layer of skin. The term "acral" refers to the fact that the skin peeling in this condition is most apparent on the hands and feet. Occasionally, peeling also occurs on the arms and legs. The peeling is usually evident from birth, although the condition can also begin in childhood or later in life. Skin peeling is made worse by exposure to heat, humidity and other forms of moisture, and friction. The underlying skin may be temporarily red and itchy, but it typically heals without scarring. Acral peeling skin syndrome is not associated with any other health problems. Symptoms The main symptom of APSS is the painless peeling of the skin. Most people can remove this skin by hand, and it may come off in sheets, similar to peeling skin after a sunburn. 1. blistering 2. itching 3. easily removable hairs If a person exposes their skin to heat, sweat, or water, they may notice that the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Legg–Calve–Perthes disease

  Legg–Calve–Perthes disease Overview Legg-Calve-Perthes (LEG-kahl-VAY-PER-tuz) disease is a childhood condition that occurs when blood supply to the ball part (femoral head) of the hip joint is temporarily interrupted and the bone begins to die. This weakened bone gradually breaks apart and can lose its round shape. The body eventually restores blood supply to the ball, and the ball heals. But if the ball is no longer round after it heals, it can cause pain and stiffness. The complete process of bone death, fracture and renewal can take several years. To keep the ball part of the joint as round as possible, doctors use a variety of treatments that keep it snug in the socket portion of the joint. The socket acts as a mold for the fragmented femoral head as it heals. Symptoms Symptoms of Perthes disease include: Limping. Pain or stiffness in the hip, groin, thigh or knee. Limited range of motion of the hip joint. Pain that worsens with activity and improves with rest. Perthes diseas...
Post a Comment
Read more