The tail end of winter is upon us, but for many it certainly isn’t over. The chilliest season of the year brings more than just frosty pavements and frozen car windscreens, but an illness so severe it leaves you covered in red, itchy spots. Doctors have put out a warning around this little-known condition that exacerbates in low temperatures.
Cold urticaria, as it is known, is an illness that affects one in 2,000 people. It causes the skin to swell and itch when exposed to cold air, cold water and air conditioning. Red patches or hives appear within minutes, and discomfort can last up to two hours.
Griet Voet, head of a dermatology clinic in Ghent, Belgium, explained how it can easily be mistaken for other skin conditions like eczema: “This is not simple dry skin caused by winter, it is a real allergic reaction to the cold.”
In more severe cases, large areas of the body can be affected, especially after swimming in cold water or spending a long time outdoors. This leads to uncontrollable itchiness, as well as facial redness and even headaches, stomach pain and fainting.
Rapid temperature changes, such as stepping into the cold outdoors from a warm building, can also trigger reactions, while ice cold drinks may cause swelling of the lips, mouth and throat.
Due to genetic malformation, Celia Azahara and her family find themselves allergic to the cold, and she, at 35, has been dealing with the condition since the day she was born.
Living with cold urticaria is not easy, but injections make it easier for her to cope — treatment she says has completely changed her life.
Other ways to manage the illness is by avoiding exposure to cold and dressing up warmly. While it is chronic for some, however, medical professionals say there are instances where symptoms fade over time, allowing them to live a normal life once more.