Has anybody here ever heard of being allergic to COLD??? I am experiencing hives every time I go outside into the cold weather. Living in Minnesota, it's tough to avoid! Any part of my body that gets cold ends up loaded with painful, itchy hives. I have a doctor's appt soon, but would love to hear from others with this problem. Thanks!

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I feel for you. I have had this problem for 6 years. After more test it turn out to be cryoglobunemia An abnormal protien in the blood that causes the blood to thicken or gel when exposed to cold. I break out in hives, swell up, and feel like my skin is on fire, It also causes your joints and muscles to hurt. My problem is I can't find a Dr. that knows how to treat it. so good luck to you and maybe we can find some help for this wierd problem.

Yes, I get hives that itch like crazy when my skin gets exposed to cold. I also get hives and itch like crazy when my flesh is vibrated--like using any kind of sander, machinery that vibrates, when I run and my skin jiggles etc. I am now 45 and each year that passes it gets worse. I take antihistimines before any of the above or I am in agony. Sometimes just barely itching a small spot causes hives to get all over me. This is a really bad case of hisimines over-reacting. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/round.gif

Thanks for the input. I am seeing my doctor in February for a complete checkup, but wonder if I should get in sooner to have this checked out. For now I just bundle up like crazy even if I'm just running out to the garage for something. It's nice to know that others suffer the same thing- it sounded so strange!

Carol I definately can relate but in a more opposite way. I have hereditary urticaria angioedema. I live in Florida and when the weather changes to very humid or hot I suffer the most. I know that in our winter months when it gets colder quickly I suffer as well, but nothing like with the heat.

I am on medication, have been for years for this. It definately is hard to deal with, and more so because often people don't understand.

You can be assured Carol I do! I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers for your doctor appointment. I have been blessed with an absolutely wonderful specialist as well as an understanding primary care doctor who say's she would rather have me see the specialist and not mess with this. I am so thankful and hope the same works out for you as well.

Blessings!

OH MY GOODNESS! Urticaria Angioedema. So that's what they call it! I, too, suffer from hives aggravated by heat. It started back in 1986 and is progressively getting worse. I used to take Hismanal every 2-3 days to control it. Now I'm taking Allegra D every day, sometimes twice. I have not been able to isolate the cause. It definitely has earned its nickname -- mad itch!

If anyone has suggestions on finding the culprit(s), and how to eliminate them, I would be extremely grateful!

Best wishes! Catherine

[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 02-15-2003).]

I thought I was the only one with this weird unheard of allergy until my sister called me to listen to Peter Warren on the radio. There are alot of people who are like this. I only got this allergy after my first child was born & that was 16 yrs ago & I still have it.
I live in Winnipeg in Canada & the winter mths here are so cold!!! I can't even enjoy skating, tobaggoning, air conditioning or even going into the water at the beach.
Anyway, as per Peter there's a doctor here at one of our hospitals that actually is studying this allergy & takes people with this allergy & helps them. I have to find the paper I wrote his name on & number. I'm planning to hopefully be able to see him to see if he can help.
Are we allowed to post the name of the doctor & hospital when I find my info? I'll let you guys know what happens once I see him.

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Lynda A Nowak

I have cold hives. I have hives when ever any part of me is exposed to cold. When I hold a cold pop my palm gets hives, when my feet are on a cold pavement, my feet break out, and worst of all is when I am in cold water, my entire body breaks out. I've had this for about seven years now. Reactine helps get rid of hives I have and it prevents new hives from coming. You can buy them over the counter, and it is 24 hour protection. They are very expensive, but worth every penny. Hives can be life-threatening because we can stop breathing if our throats swell from the hives, so be careful!!!

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Lisa Gleeson

I also read that cold hives can be related to the following:
cryoglobins
cryofibrinogen
cold agglutinins

[This message has been edited by gleeson_lisa (edited 03-16-2002).]

I recently became inflamed with clusters of hives and could not find the cause...food, detergents, etc. nothing seemed to be the cause. FInally after a visit with my internist and a dermatologist, an allergist understood the problem the best. Its called dermagraphism--skin that is extremely sensitive to touch---for some reason a scratch may start the reaction with hives erupting in clusters causing the crazy itching and this causes more hives etc! I've had several areas of my body red and inflamed at once! Its been about 3 months and the only drug that worked instantly (no hives for about 1 week!) is Zyrtex-a prescription based antihisamine...Allegra did nothing for me! I don't know if my hives are necessarily related to temperature but will watch more closely. Oh Benadryl liquid (even just a teaspoon will halt the itching) , but not stop the development of new hives--
I am praying tha this whole thing will just go away-but I understand it can last years! Good Luck!

anyone ever heard of or experienced a link between the cold induced hives and birth control pills? I recently discovered that I only break out in hives from the cold while on my oral contraceptive.

I also have cold urticaria and my dermatologist found it. One of her associates was fascinated that I had it because it doesn't show up that often. They test my blood every year and she found that there is a trace of protein in my blood. I take 10mg of claritin a day no matter what the weather. But if I am going out in the cold I usually wait until 20 minutes before to take it. I have noticed that the older I get the more sensitive I become to it. If anyone has found a doctor that actually can manage this I would love that information. Nice to know not alone with this. I can't even hold a can of cold soda anymore either!

I, too, was diagnosed with 'cold urticaria' in August of 2000. I had been seeing several allergists here in my area but they couldn't figure out why i was constantly breaking out in hives in the winter months or whenever I was exposed to cold. I used to be able to play out in the snow with my daughter and other things outdoors in any months, regardless of temps. Now this is has all changed, and I understand that it for the rest of my life. I just don't understand it, how this happens after so many years. Does anyone know whether this is hereditary? You are not alone!! Itis great for me to find this board because the people you see on a day to day basis they just don't understand because there are not enough facts out there regarding this. I told a coworker once, "I am allergic to the cold" the response was "yea and I am allergic to work." It is hard to take someone serious when there aren't a lot of facts, but I keep trying to educate people that care about me in case something bad were to happen. I carry an Epi Pen and take Zyrtec when I feel something coming on. It usually helps within 20 minutes but my biggest fear is getting stranded out in the cold, like if a car were to break down. My new allergist told me I had to get a cell phone earlier this year (prior to that I was probably the only one that didn't have one), in case of emergency. I think it was a good investment. I feel a little safer. We need to stick together on this....Good luck to all who suffer from this allergy.

I just want to suggest that anyone with this condition consider and hormone therapies they are on. It took me 6 years but I finally realized that something in my oral contraceptives triggers my cold urticaria. Now that I have switched birth control pills I dont experience hives from the cold, alittle redness soemtimes, but nothing like before. For anyone interested i switched from Orth cyclen to Ortho micronor.

b/f was on Zyrtec for solar urticaria, but he was too tired from it, so they switched his meds. He's a lot better now. We looked rediculous at the beach in July--me in a bikini & him dressed for winter. This was before he was officially diagnosed. He just knew he couldn't be in the sun without immediately getting hives that got worse the longer he was exposed, but he wanted to take me to the shore. What a wonderful guy!
Does anyone know more about the solar type? I assume it's very simi9lar to the cold & heat types. I want to understand what he's been through with this.

Wow! I am so happy in a way that am not the only person with this problem. I did not speak to any one about this until the age of 15 after it started when I was 13 now 19. Not a lot of people understood and thought it was strange. I live in England and its cold all year round. The drugs my doctor was describing me with made me drowsy and found it hard to do day to day things, so instead I don’t take them and have about 3 showers a day. I only told people if I had to, like my manager cause it some times was the excuse for being late for work. And walking to work in the rain and cold feeling like am just about ready to go to bed when I should b ready to start work. In England people talk at work and I get embarrass. I work for my dad at the age of 16 at a factory. My first day I had to leave as its very cold working there and my dad thought I was making excuses and told me that he was embarrass (like I care). I am now working as a chef which is good as am the only one who doesn’t complain about the heat! But I don’t want to be doing this for much longer which means because of the cold it gives me less job opportunities. I have excepted it and studying hard for a office job. Even so I no what I want to do in the future. At present if I loss my job and cant find another job that suits my needs in time I could run out of cash fast which means I will b homeless (out in the cold 24/7). I can only stay out in the cold for about 1hr. I have been stranded out in the could for 5hrs once and was in so much pain that I started to get black outs. Once I got home I jump in the bath as fast as I could. I do not get on with my family so they would not put me up for the night if this did happen. This is how scared I am with this cold business. This is just 1 of my day to day problems. I had to cancel my snowboarding holiday in Canada which I had my heart set on for a long time. Sorry to tell my life story but I just want tell people what I have to put up with and let other people know that there not alone. I have tried about 5 different drugs and my doctor is on about ultra violet treatment which means going to hospital 3 times a week. Thanks for reading this and hope every one good luck with this problem Simon Wattie if you ever feel the need to e-mail me please do so at [removed].com

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[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 02-15-2003).]