How to determine an allergy to cold

Cold allergy is one of many types of negative responses of the body to various external stimuli. The very name of this allergy suggests that an allergic reaction occurs under the influence of cold temperatures.

Until recently, medicine rejected such a diagnosis, since there is no allergen that provokes a specific reaction of the body as such, there is only a physical effect - cold. No allergen means no allergies.

But when exposed to cold air, some sensitive people experience a significant release of histamine, which causes reactions similar to other types of allergies - the development of swelling, vasodilation, redness and itching of the skin and mucous membranes. This is a response to a decrease in the temperature of the skin's thermal receptors.

Causes of cold allergies

Why does cold allergy occur? Medicine does not yet know the exact answer to this question, but with the following factors, particularly sensitive people may experience this strange type of allergy:

1. When there is a sharp change in a person’s presence in an environment with normal air temperature to an environment with low temperature - in winter, especially in windy weather
2. In contact with cold water - in everyday life when washing dishes, cleaning, swimming in open water
3. When drinking very cold drinks or cold food

Allergy to cold often develops after severe illness and long-term treatment with antibiotics; it is believed that it has a genetic predisposition; it can occur against the background of infectious diseases (for example, tuberculosis) or parasitic diseases (roundworms in children, adults, pinworms in children, giardiasis.

In a strong, hardened organism with a strong immune system, such temperature changes do not cause any reactions.

However, in the event of a decrease in protective forces, systemic disorders, serious illnesses, or metabolic disorders in the body, this type of allergy may occur. Stress, as we know, is the most important risk factor for immune failure, so stress-resistant people tend to get sick less often and have good health.

Provoking factors for the development of cold allergies

1. The presence of allergic reactions to other irritants - food, pollen (allergy to poplar fluff), household allergies
2. Some infectious diseases - mumps, measles (see symptoms of measles in adults), mycoplasma pneumonia, rubella
3. Thyroid diseases, systemic lupus erythematosus, cancer
4. The presence of chronic diseases - sinusitis, sinusitis, various worm infections, intestinal dysbiosis
5. Recurrent skin diseases – neurodermatitis, eczema, psoriasis
6. Hereditary factor

There are cases when such a reaction is hereditary in nature, that is, it is inherited and most often it is the body’s reaction to windy weather than to cold. The symptom of such an allergy is a burning sensation, not itching of the skin.

How does an allergy to cold manifest itself?

How does an allergy to cold manifest itself? Symptoms of such an allergy can have various forms of manifestation - from mild symptoms that disappear some time after contact with a cold environment, to serious recurrent skin rashes.

Skin manifestations are the most common signs. These include redness, swelling, itching of open areas of the body that have come into contact with a cold environment. After some time, the skin begins to hurt, itch, and may become blistered, similar to hives.

Cold allergies in children can even affect the inner surface of the legs, thighs, knees and manifest themselves in the form of hives. The rash is pink, dense, itchy, but goes away within a few hours. There are cases when, after a cold, the skin not only turns red and itches, but also becomes covered with a layer that begins to peel off, as with dermatitis. Sometimes bruises appear at the site of the allergy over time.

Most often, cold allergies occur on the face and hands, since these places are more exposed to the external environment, they are always open and more vulnerable.

General malaise - increased blood pressure, shortness of breath, headache and weakness.

Allergic rhinitis - the appearance of a runny nose, sneezing when going out into cold air. Swelling of the mucous membranes of the nose can either greatly complicate nasal breathing or completely block it, and upon returning to a warm room, all allergy symptoms disappear.

Signs of allergic conjunctivitis are tearing, swelling around the eyes, swelling of the eyelids, pain in the eyes. Hypersensitivity to bright light also occurs. To differentiate the diagnosis, you should definitely consult an ophthalmologist and dermatologist, since if profuse lacrimation occurs in the cold, this may be a sign of tick-borne infection (demodex) or fungus, etc.

Diagnosis of cold allergies

If you experience similar symptoms, then first of all you need to visit a therapist and an immunologist - an allergist. After a set of diagnostic and laboratory tests, it will be possible to accurately determine the cause of the allergic reaction. Cold allergies, the symptoms of which are similar to other types of allergic reactions, should be differentiated from a number of other diseases.

1. Sometimes in small children of preschool age, cold allergies on the face are similar to atopic dermatitis, neurodermatitis.
2. Often similar allergic symptoms occur with idiopathic dermatosis. With this disease, heat and cold skin receptors are deregulated. Swelling, lacrimation, sneezing, and difficulty breathing occur in both cold and heat.
3. Intolerance to the fur of some animals - rabbits, mink, chinchillas, woolen fabrics, sheep's wool - can also be confused with an allergy to cold. When putting on clothes and going out into the cold, a person returns with a rash and swelling of the nasopharynx; as a result, this can be assessed as a reaction to the cold, and not an allergy to wool or fur.
4. The situation is similar with perfume products. Typically, perfume is applied to the forearm, neck, face, and an allergic rash can be caused by cosmetics and perfumes, and not by cold.

When symptoms appear, it is important to make a correct diagnosis, and only after differentiating the signs of allergy can a doctor confirm this disease. Then, the question arises: is an allergy to cold treatable?

How to treat allergies to cold

The inability to eliminate an allergen such as cold makes the fight against such an illness quite difficult. If the patient is diagnosed with an allergy to cold, treatment in this case is purely symptomatic. It is only possible with the help of antihistamines to slightly reduce its manifestations, or to protect exposed areas of the body as much as possible from exposure to negative temperatures. You can reduce the occurrence of allergic reactions if:

1. Before going out into the cold, lubricate your face and hands with baby cream, for adults, with any rich cream. Lips should be lubricated with hygienic lipstick. This will partially protect uncovered areas of skin from cold air.
2. Badger fat has a very good effect; it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins B and A, which have only a positive effect on the skin. 20 minutes before going out into the cold, you can lubricate exposed areas of the skin with badger fat (lips, cheeks, nose, hands); if there is no serious liver damage, then you can consume it orally 40 minutes before. before breakfast, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of fat.
3. Long warm gloves, preferably waterproof mittens for children, warm scarves, it is preferable to have hoods in outerwear - this will effectively protect from the wind and better retain heat.
4. Medicinal herbs, if there is no allergy to them, can also help with the development of urticaria, which appears as an allergy to cold. Burdock root, tricolor violet and walnut leaves are very useful. To collect, mix the raw materials in equal proportions, 2 s. Pour a tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain, consume the resulting broth 60 ml 3 times a day.
5. Pine cones (see pine cones for stroke) or spruce cones also have beneficial properties; 4 cones are required to prepare the decoction; they should be ground in a mill or meat grinder, poured with water and simmered over low heat for half an hour. After straining the broth, you can wipe it on chapped and rough skin every evening.
6. If you have a cold allergy, the symptoms of which are minor, then gradual hardening and rubbing can strengthen the immune system and reduce the body's reaction. But for young children and people with intense symptoms, hardening is contraindicated, as it is fraught with the development of complications in the form of anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema, and laryngeal edema.
7. During the cold season, you can use antihistamines (A complete list of all allergy pills is in our article.)

An allergy to cold is a pseudo-allergic reaction that occurs as a result of exposure of the human body to low temperatures. Despite the fact that the disease is widespread, modern medicine has recognized its existence relatively recently.

Allergy to cold is diagnosed several times more often in women than in men. It usually manifests itself at 20–30 years of age.

Symptoms of a cold allergy can appear when exposed to cold water, being outside in cold weather, strong cold winds, or consuming cold food or drinks.

Causes and risk factors

An allergy to cold is a pseudoallergic reaction, which differs from a true allergy in the absence of certain immunological mechanisms. With pseudoallergy, the development of the inflammatory process is associated with disturbances in histamine metabolism. Experts put forward three theories to explain the development of allergies to cold:

1. Spasm of microcirculatory vessels. Under the influence of low temperatures, a person experiences a spasm of the smallest blood vessels - capillaries, as a result of which blood supply and tissue nutrition deteriorate, which becomes the beginning of the inflammatory process.
2. Formation of special proteins. In some people, under the influence of low temperature, special biochemical processes are triggered in the body, during which proteins are synthesized that can act as an allergen. It is these proteins that trigger the release of allergy mediators (histamine, serotonin), provoking the development of allergic inflammation. These proteins are not stable and are quickly destroyed when a person warms up.
3. Dry skin. When skin is dry, its surface is not sufficiently protected. In the cold, because of this, cells quickly lose moisture, the skin becomes even drier and begins to peel off. This theory is confirmed by the fact that allergies to cold are most often diagnosed in people with sensitive and dry skin, as well as in elderly patients.

Factors that increase the risk of developing a cold allergy are:

Allergy to cold often develops in patients suffering from any other manifestations of allergies (pollen or household allergies, atopic dermatitis, etc.).

Forms of the disease

The following forms of cold allergy are distinguished:

Long-term allergies to cold also have a negative impact on the mental state of patients. During the cold season, many of them experience increased fatigue, nervousness, and in severe cases develop depressive states.

Symptoms of an allergy to cold

The most common manifestation of a cold allergy is cold urticaria. After contact with cold water or air on the contacted areas of the body (usually the face, neck, ears, hands), the skin begins to ache and itch very much. Then it gradually turns red and blisters form on it. In appearance, changes in the lesion are very similar to the symptoms of a nettle burn. With a large area of ​​rash, the patient’s blood pressure may drop sharply, even to the point of developing collapse.

A separate form of cold allergy is familial cold urticaria (one of the forms of cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome). The disease is associated with a defect in the NLRP3 gene and is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. With familial cold urticaria, symptoms of an allergy to cold do not appear immediately, but several hours after the body is exposed to low temperatures: a maculopapular rash appears on the skin.

Allergy to cold, which occurs as cold dermatitis, is characterized by the formation of burgundy or dark red spots with a slightly flaky surface on exposed areas of the skin. Their size reaches 2–5 cm in diameter. The appearance of rashes is accompanied by a pronounced burning sensation and severe itching. After some time, cracks form on the surface of the spots, then they become covered with crusts.

Cold dermatitis most often affects the skin of the hands, neck, ears and face, that is, those areas of the body that are not covered by clothing. In very rare cases, rashes can also appear on closed areas of the body, such as the inner thighs or knees.

The main symptom of cold rhinitis is a transient runny nose, accompanied by mucous discharge. Its characteristic feature is that it appears when the patient comes into contact with low temperatures, and in a warm room after warming it completely goes away on its own.

Cold conjunctivitis is manifested by increased lacrimation, pain in the eyes, and slight blepharospasm. In the warmth, the symptoms of cold conjunctivitis go away on their own.

Exposure to cold air on the bronchial mucosa in some people leads to the development of bronchial hyperreactivity - a bronchoconstrictor reaction of the airways. Clinically this is manifested by an attack of bronchial cold asthma:

1. labored breathing;
2. dyspnea;
3. cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle;
4. on auscultation – multiple wheezing in the lungs.

Diagnostics

If a cold allergy is suspected, the patient should be consulted by an allergist. To confirm the diagnosis, a cold test is performed: a small piece of ice is placed on the patient's skin and left for 3-5 minutes. If the test result is positive, typical cold urticaria develops in the area of ​​ice contact with the skin. If necessary, pH-metry of the skin and dermatoscopy of the elements of the rash are additionally performed.

A blood test allows you to determine in the serum the presence of proteins specific to cold allergies (cryoglobulins, cryofibrinogen, cold antibodies).

In some patients, an exacerbation of cold allergy may be accompanied by the appearance of blood proteins in the urine (hemoglobinuria).

To identify the underlying disease that caused the formation of an allergy to cold, the patient is referred for consultation to specialized specialists (gastroenterologist, gynecologist, urologist, dentist, endocrinologist, etc.).

Allergy to cold is diagnosed several times more often in women than in men. It usually manifests itself at 20–30 years of age.

If there are indications, additional laboratory and instrumental examination is carried out, which may include:

Skin forms of allergy to cold should be differentiated from dermatitis caused by other causes (contact, drug, atopic dermatitis), as well as psoriasis.

Treatment of allergies to cold

Treatment of allergy to cold, first of all, consists of preventing further contact of the patient with cold (warm clothing in winter, bathing in warm water, avoiding cold food and drinks). In winter, especially on windy days, before leaving the house, any fatty cream should be generously applied to exposed skin.

In the complex treatment of cold allergies, antihistamines, multivitamin preparations, as well as drugs that improve microcirculatory circulation and trophic processes are used. In addition, identified concomitant diseases are treated.

For patients with mild symptoms of cold allergy, hardening procedures are recommended. Hardening begins with dousing with warm water (water temperature 37–37.5 °C). Every five days the water temperature is lowered by one degree, gradually bringing it to 10 °C. If, with the next decrease in water temperature, clinical manifestations of an allergy to cold occur, the temperature is again raised to a tolerable level, then after a few days it is reduced again. Hardening treatment is allowed only in patients with a mild course of the disease. In the case of a severe cold allergy, dousing with cold water can lead to the development of anaphylactic shock, a potentially life-threatening complication.

A relatively new method of treating cold allergies is autolymphocytotherapy, which consists of injecting the patient with lymphocytes previously obtained from his own blood. The course usually includes 8 procedures, performed every other day. Autolymphocytotherapy has proven itself to be an effective and at the same time safe method of treating cold allergies.

Diet for allergies to cold

If allergies to cold worsen, it is recommended to adhere to a hypoallergenic diet. The following should be excluded from the diet:

1. spicy, salty, fatty and fried foods;
2. strong broths;
3. spices;
4. smoked meats;
5. sausages;
6. seafood;
7. eggs;
8. ice cream;
9. processed and sharp cheeses;
10. industrially made sauces (ketchup, mayonnaise);
11. pickles and marinades;
12. some vegetables (bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach);
13. nuts;
14. mushrooms;
15. citrus;
16. confectionery.

It is recommended to include in the diet:

1. dairy products;
2. cereal dishes (except semolina);
3. lean meat;
4. mild varieties of cheese;
5. green apples;
6. vegetable oil;
7. dishes made from vegetables, preferably green (zucchini, cabbage, squash, green beans, green peas, dill, parsley, etc.).

Possible consequences and complications

In severe clinical cases and lack of timely treatment, cold allergies can lead to the development of serious complications:

1. swelling of the larynx – usually develops after consuming cold foods or drinks. The patient suddenly develops inspiratory shortness of breath (difficulty inhaling), and a sensation of a foreign body appears in the throat. The voice becomes hoarse and muffled.
2. anaphylactic shock – its first symptom is usually a sharp pain in the area of ​​skin rashes, then vascular collapse and bronchospasm quickly develop. Symptoms of anaphylactic shock develop rapidly, and if the patient does not receive immediate medical attention, he may die.

Long-term allergies to cold also have a negative impact on the mental state of patients. During the cold season, many of them experience increased fatigue, nervousness, and in severe cases develop depressive states.

Forecast

In most cases, an allergy to cold does not pose a threat to the patient's life. However, the disease is long-term and requires regular therapy. In case of severe allergic reactions to cold exposure, it may be necessary to change your place of residence.

Prevention

As part of the prevention of the development of allergies to cold, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine system, helminthic infestations, and also sanitize all foci of chronic infection in the body should be promptly diagnosed and treated.

In cold weather, you should dress warmly and protect exposed areas of the body with a rich cream, especially for people with dry skin.

If you plan to be in the cold for a long time, you should take a thermos with a hot drink with you. A few sips of hot liquid allow the body to quickly warm up and thereby prevent the development of cold allergy symptoms. But drinking alcoholic drinks in the cold for the purpose of warming up is strictly forbidden! Alcohol promotes the expansion of skin capillaries and thereby increases the transfer of heat by the body. As a result, hypothermia develops, and the preconditions are created for the launch of the pathological mechanism of allergy to cold.

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Symptoms of an allergy to cold often very similar to the natural reaction of the skin to hypothermia and frosty weather, to the symptoms of other allergic skin reactions. Usually small itchy rashes, redness, and sometimes even quite large blisters - the so-called “cold urticaria” and “cold dermatitis” - appear on exposed areas of the skin during walks. Primarily on the face, ears and hands. However, later the rash and other skin symptoms of cold allergies can spread throughout the body.

Most often, an allergy to cold occurs at temperatures below 10 degrees. But for some, it also occurs in relatively warm weather – around zero. The whole point is to increase the level of cryoglobulins in the blood, special proteins that respond to cooling. It is quite simple to distinguish cold urticaria or dermatitis from a simple skin reaction to frost and hypothermia. The body's usual reactions to sub-zero temperatures (sharp constriction of blood vessels in the cold, causing redness of the skin and sometimes even itching) disappear in a warm room after a few minutes. And for the manifestations of allergies to disappear, it will take from several hours to 3-5 days.

Also, skin allergies to cold can be accompanied (or manifest completely independently of it) by the so-called pseudo-allergic cold runny nose (rhinitis) and pseudo-allergic conjunctivitis, the latter is usually characterized by redness or swelling of the eyelids and increased lacrimation in the cold. In a warm room, all symptoms of such an allergic runny nose or allergic conjunctivitis quickly disappear.

Irina Tokareva

doctor of the highest category, allergist-immunologist of City Clinical Hospital No. 29 named after. Bauman, expert of the “NetAllergies” program

If an allergic reaction occurs, you need to take an antihistamine, for example, based on desloratodine. But there is no cure for cold allergies that would work once and for all. Therefore, the fight against hypothermia and strengthening the immune system come to the fore. Dress warmly. Before walking, apply a rich protective cream to your face. Eliminate pockets of chronic infection. Minimize the consumption of highly allergenic foods. Changes in lifestyle can also be a good prevention of allergies: play sports, exercise, try to be less nervous.

Skin allergies to cold can make themselves felt in the summer. To do this, it is enough to stand under a cold shower, sit in a draft, swim in a cold pond, eat ice cream or drink some iced drink (when eating cold food and drinks, it is also possible swelling of the tongue and larynx).

People at risk for cold allergies include people who have recently had a viral infection (ARVI, influenza), have any allergic reactions or a hereditary predisposition to them, and suffer from chronic diseases of the liver and gastrointestinal tract. Also, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and other chronic diseases always make the body more vulnerable to allergens.

A simple test will help diagnose an allergy to cold: apply a piece of ice to your hand for 5 minutes and watch the reaction. However, it should be remembered that no “home” diagnostic tools are highly accurate. Only an allergist can reliably diagnose allergies using a special examination.