2 Year old allergic to the cold? - Allergies Message Board

reyrey39 · 08-10-2005, 01:39 PM

My two year old has been dignosed as being allergic to the cold. They did the ice cube test and it was postive. He immediatly broke out into hives. The docotor has called this cold induced urticaria. When the cold hits him he breaks out into hives and then passes out. I am looking for anyone with experience with this or anywere I can find some good information. The allergie docotor said that its rare to have this bad of reaction and is doing research to find out what we can do with my son. We live in NY so the winters could be tricky. This all came out of the blue. SO please any questions please ask and I will do my best.

Renee
Italya
Jaydon
Trinity

Ophelia1920 · 08-11-2005, 09:40 AM

Hi, I had the same thing for a while when I was a teenager. I think I sort of grew out of it, although if it's very cool out and my skin is exposed it will start itching. I even used to get hives in the summer, when I went from the heat into an air-conditioned store I would get hives on my legs and arms.
I also have a friend that has the same problem, he doesn't do much outside stuff in the winter.

The passing out does seem like a rare reaction, I just got hives and if they got bad enough I had to take an antihistamine. Maybe if he takes an antihistamine right away, that will curb off the more severe reaction?

Did you do a Google search for cold induced urticaria? I did and you should be able to find out quite a bit of information from there.

I live in MN so I can totally understand the concern about the cold air.

CheerAngel · 08-12-2005, 01:02 AM

Hi 'reyrey39'

I have cold urticaria too and it's been many years since I had it. My condition has gotten better over the years. Probably due to my body being able to adapt better to the cold. I don't live in a 4 seasons country so winter is not a problem for me but there are many other environments like air conditioning, rainy days, etc that can cause me to break out.

The passing out reaction your son gets is called anaphylaxis. It can be life threatening if the throat swells up and oxygen can't get into the body or the BP is too low and medical help is not near. I'm sure his doctor knows about his fainting and has prescribed an epi-pen?

When we get hives, fluid in the body leaks out and thus causing the blood pressure to go down and sometimes when it's dangerously low, it can provoke an anaphylaxis attack. The symptoms of an attack that's coming are, feeling faint, swellings, hives, throat closing, feeling of 'doom', ... The epipen should be given as soon as possible before the attack gets worse and then head straight for the ER. The epinepherine from the epipen doesn't last forever, medical treatment in a hospital is a must.

Swimming can be dangerous too. Even on a hot/warm weather, a cool breeze that touches the skin or after getting out of the pool can start an attack. Drying immediately is important and always have the epipen near. There are many cold stuffs to avoid and sometimes it can be hard to do so. Keep your son indoors during as much as possible. If there's a need to leave the house, make sure he's covered up warmly and nicely. Personally, I think 2 epipens are better than 1 in case the first pen is spoilt. Check the expiry date regularly and replace once expired.

As time goes by, you'll be more experience in dealing with his condition. And you will be more familiar with what causes him to break out and when some reactions are worse than others. There's information on the web and reading more will help you and your son alot. On a hopeful side, your son may one day grow out of this horrible problem... If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Good luck!

p.s. if you would like to read more, search Mastocytosis. It's another condition where too many mast cells are released, causing anaphylaxis.

reyrey39 · 08-12-2005, 01:59 PM

Cheer angel.
Reading what you wrote today brought a smile to my face. You told me more than the doctor has in the last month. Thank you so much. I know that there is so much more i would love to ask you but I wouldn't even know were to begin. He does have the epi pen. I have been tring to keep him indoors as much as possible. We are thinking of relocating to AZ were my husband was offered a job to avoid the winter. We had lots of blood drawn yesterday and hope to go back to the allergist next week. Thank you so much. I know we can not post emails here but I would love to keep in contact with you.

Bella535 · 08-12-2005, 02:04 PM

i have it too. actually when i told the doctor that i get hives from the cold he laughed at me!!!!!!!!!!!! could you belive that! anyway, i wasnt diagnosed with it cuz i guess he never heard of it but when someone is allergic to something they know it. i told allegra-D and that helped me alot.