How to treat cold allergies on the face. Cold allergy (cold urticaria)

Cold allergies are not a myth, but a sad reality for many people. Until recently, such a concept did not exist. But recent research by scientists proves that low temperatures irritate receptors that promote the production of an allergy mediator.

Causes of facial skin allergies

Who may be susceptible to cold allergies and why? There are many factors contributing to the appearance of this pathology:

If you have a pronounced predisposition to cold allergies, you should avoid situations that contribute to its occurrence. This includes being in severe frost and drafts, bathing and washing dishes in cold water, sudden changes in opposite temperatures, and drinking very cold drinks.

Manifestation of allergies

How to determine an allergy to cold? The disease is diagnosed based on the following signs:

The surface of the skin exposed to cold turns red.
At the site of redness, a rash appears, reminiscent of a burn after contact with nettles. That's why it's called urticaria.
Itching and swelling of the skin appears - usually on the face, arms, inner thighs and behind the knees. The body itches very much.
With a severe allergy, the affected area begins to hurt.
All the symptoms characteristic of any allergic reaction occur: nasal congestion, shortness of breath, lacrimation, headache, reaction to bright light.

It is quite easy to understand that the cause of all symptoms is the cold: place a piece of ice on the skin for literally a few minutes. If you have a cold allergy, the rash appears immediately. To confirm the diagnosis, a more complete examination is prescribed.

Allergy on the cheeks

The most delicate areas are susceptible to cold allergies. The skin of the cheeks is no exception. Such an external defect becomes a problem for girls and women, because it looks extremely unaesthetic. Complicating the situation is that the allergic rash can spread to the delicate skin of the eyelids and forehead.

First, nodules called papules appear on the skin. They are swollen, red, and hurt when pressed. Further, such bulges can be filled with pus, which forms a white head. They may leave scars. Sometimes, as a result of an allergy, real blisters with large blisters may appear on the skin of the cheeks, but they disappear within 24 hours.

As soon as a rash appears, you need to seek the help of a dermatologist-allergist.

How to quickly get rid of facial allergies

In order not to experience all the consequences of cold allergies, you need to be able to protect yourself from it:

wear hats and thick scarves made of natural fabrics;
avoid being outside in windy and frosty weather;
harden with dousing, but begin the healing procedure gradually.

If all the symptoms of an allergic reaction are already on the face, then you need to urgently start treatment. After all, Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock are possible consequences of even an advanced form of the disease.

Tablets, creams and ointments

Cold allergies are treated with the same medications as other types of the disease. Are used:

Antihistamine tablets. These include Tavegil, Cetrin, Suprastin, Claritin, Cetirizine, Fexofast. They can be used for their intended purpose only on the recommendation of a doctor and according to the instructions.
Antihistamine creams and ointments. These may be hormone-based products (Skin-cap, Gistan N). But there are also preparations made on the basis of drugs (La-Cri, Gistan). You can use regular eye cream.
Antihistamine nasal drops. These are Fenistil, Allergodil, Parlazin.

If a cold rash appears on your face, this does not mean that you need to use only cream or ointment. Treatment must be comprehensive.

Diet

For allergies of any kind, it is recommended to follow a diet excluding foods that irritate the mucous membranes. These are salted, fried and smoked dishes. Food rich in omega-3 fatty acids should prevail: good fish, high-quality vegetable oils, vegetables and fruits.

Traditional treatment

Traditional medicine considers badger fat to be the main protection against the effects of cold. Before going out into the frosty air, it is recommended to apply it to the skin of the face. The following recipes are also popular:

Mumiyo solution. To prepare it, dilute 1 g of mumiyo in 1 liter of boiled water. You need to take half a glass every morning. For greater effect, you can lubricate the skin of the face with the solution, but for this purpose, 1 g of the medicinal component is poured into 100 g of water.
Blueberry compress. They are ground to a paste and applied to areas of the skin in need of healing.

Even specialists can prescribe healing infusions of medicinal herbs.

Herbs

Traditional recipes using only natural ingredients will help you quickly get rid of an allergic rash on your face:

A decoction of walnut leaves, violet flowers and burdock root. The dried ingredients are taken in equal proportions, 1 tablespoon each. The collection is poured with a glass of boiling water, infused for an hour and filtered. Dosage regimen: three times a day, a quarter glass.
Emulsion of burdock, marigold, celandine and mint. It is necessary to prepare 10 g of the listed herbs and chop them, then pour in vegetable oil so that its level is 1 cm higher than the mixture. The prepared product is heated in a water bath and filtered. The emulsion for lubricating the skin is ready.

Despite their effectiveness, medicinal plants pose a serious threat: the patient may have an individual intolerance to any herb. Therefore, it is better to carry out such treatment under the guidance of a specialist. If there is no trust in home medicine, as well as time to prepare medicinal decoctions, you can purchase medications at the pharmacy.

How to remove an allergen from the body

Again, nutrition that includes absorbents will help you cope with this task. This can be wholemeal bread, salads made from hard vegetables with lemon juice, apples, legumes - everything that improves intestinal function. For this purpose, special medications are also prescribed: Polysorb, Smecta, Filtrum and others. The second important point is the organization of the drinking regime. Every day you need to drink 2-3 liters of boiled water. In severe cases, diuretics and laxatives are prescribed.

Prevention and timely treatment will help prevent the discomfort that cold allergies provoke and alleviate the course of the disease.

Good day, dear visitors of the project “Good IS!” ", section " "!

I am glad to present to your attention another article from the health section, namely - about cold allergies, or as it is often called - cold urticaria. So…

Cold allergy or cold urticaria ( lat."Urtica" – nettle ) - an allergic reaction on exposed parts of the body in the form of rashes or red spots caused by cold (cold air or water).

Although it is called an allergy, in reality this response of the body has nothing to do with a true allergic reaction. Cold, dampness, frost are physical factors, and not a substance that causes sensitization - hypersensitivity. But in this article, we will not replace generally accepted definitions, so we will still call this reaction to cold a cold allergy.

Cold allergies manifest themselves literally within a few minutes after exposure to low temperatures in the form of rashes on open areas of the skin: on the face, hands, and often on the lips after drinking cold drinks. The rash is pink or whitish in color, dense, accompanied by itching, can last for several hours, and then disappear without a trace.

There are also other forms of cold allergies that occur in the presence of other diseases - dysfunction of the thyroid gland, lupus erythematosus, and are much more severe. Sometimes a rare form occurs - hereditary. It is accompanied by a burning sensation and is more the body's reaction to the wind than to the cold.

But even the most seemingly harmless form of cold allergy is not as safe as we think. It causes severe itching and a feeling of discomfort, and your health worsens: appear. And in general, more severe manifestations may appear - the so-called Quincke's edema. (Manifestation of Quincke's edema is an enlargement of the face or part of it, or a limb, but the color of the skin does not change.)

Cold allergy test

Therefore, it is very important for both the doctor and the patient to determine the nature of the allergic reaction in time. For this, along with complex studies using special equipment, there are quite simple methods. You can check whether you have a cold allergy at home: place a piece of ice on the crook of your elbow for 10-15 minutes, and if hives appear, then we can assume that you are predisposed to a cold allergy.

But if in doubt, you should consult a doctor; allergic diseases require laboratory blood tests.

So, how can you recognize it, because cold allergies are skillfully “disguised” as, and.

As soon as you stepped out into the cold, your head immediately began to hurt. The facial and neck muscles contract, pressing pain begins in the back of the head and forehead, and as it intensifies, pain appears. It's time to go into a warm room: 10-15 minutes are usually enough to say goodbye to a headache attack. This symptom can be provoked not only by sub-zero air temperatures, but also, for example, by ice-cold drinks or a cold bed.

Reddish rashes, peeling and itching on the skin of the hands and face, sometimes under the knee and on the inner thighs.

In adults, it all starts with cold allergies in the hands. At first, the skin of the hands simply itches, then becomes dry, rough, covered with cracks and even rashes such as hives. In the skin form of cold allergy in a child, the favorite place for rashes is the face. The cheeks, chin, and nasolabial area turn red. Then a burning sensation will appear, the baby will begin to rub these places, and a rash very similar to herpes is guaranteed. Those who love thin tights in winter suffer from delicate, cold-sensitive skin under the knees and on the inner thighs.

Following urticaria, swelling of the face, legs, and arms appears.

Inexplicably arising long-term, nasal congestion, itching in the nasal passages, sore throat, and even with lacrimation and itching of the mucous membranes of the eyes.

Breathing in the cold takes away, it becomes difficult, narrowing of the bronchi often provokes.

And there are also signs of cold allergies such as feeling tired and mood swings.

Cold allergies can worsen and occur against the background of other diseases and be just their mask, for example, with a lack of vitamins () and, dysfunction of the thyroid gland, etc.

If there is another allergic disease, for example, food allergy, allergic reaction, then cold allergy will be more severe. Often, cold allergies begin after suffering from acute respiratory viral infections or other infectious diseases.

Types of cold allergies

There are several types of cold allergies. Each of them has its own characteristics:

Acute and chronic cold urticaria– this form of the disease is characterized by an acute onset, intense itching of exposed skin areas – the face, hands, and sometimes the entire surface of the body. Soon, swelling of the skin occurs at the itching sites, which manifests itself as a blister. Then rashes appear in the form of intense redness of individual areas of the skin, as if caused by a mosquito bite or “sting”. In severe forms of the disease, general malaise and severe palpitations occur. An exacerbation of the disease can continue for several weeks and even months - the entire cold period of the year;

Recurrent form of urticaria- it is characterized by seasonality: autumn, winter, early spring. Year-round exacerbations occur when the skin is exposed to cold water;

Reflex cold urticaria– a general or local reaction to cold, similar to cholinergic urticaria. Sometimes it occurs only when the whole body cools down. A local reaction to cold is manifested by a rash that appears around the chilled area of the skin, while the skin directly in contact with the cold is not affected;

Familial cold urticaria– a rare form of urticaria, inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Characterized by a maculopapular rash and burning sensation that occurs 0.5 to 3 hours after exposure to cold. Possible systemic manifestations, chills, joint pain, leukocytosis. A rare form of the disease has been described in which urticaria occurs 20 to 30 hours after exposure to cold. Since the rash is accompanied by itching and burning, chronic idiopathic urticaria is often mistakenly diagnosed;

Cold erythema– manifested by redness of the skin (erythema). This form of the disease is characterized by severe pain in the affected areas of the skin;

Cold dermatitis- The skin is very itchy and flaky. If the disease has become quite severe, swelling of the entire body can be observed;

Cold rhinitis- differs from a regular runny nose in that the feeling of nasal congestion occurs exclusively in the cold. As soon as a person suffering from a similar form of cold allergy enters a warm room, all symptoms immediately disappear;

Cold conjunctivitis- in the cold there is strong lacrimation, as well as pain in the eyes.

The described symptoms should not be confused with the body’s natural defense against cold and windy weather, which do not cause significant discomfort and quickly disappear in a warm environment.

A separate point is problems with the gastrointestinal tract: upon examination, it turns out that a person has an ulcer... In principle, quite a few chronic ailments can provoke cold urticaria.

Cold allergies in children can also be a continuation of food allergies.

Therefore, all the attention is not on getting rid of symptoms, but on treating the underlying disease. The remaining measures can be considered temporary; they do not solve the problem, they only slightly alleviate the condition.

The treatment method for cold allergies is similar to the treatment for true allergies. First of all, it is necessary to avoid contact with the provoking factor, in this case - cold. Winter allergy sufferers need to dress in clothes made from natural fabrics and not be exposed to cold. The degree of sensitivity is individual. For some, allergic reactions occur at an air temperature of minus 24-28°C, for others - minus 8-10°C, for some - after washing with cold water. If you cannot avoid it, then take a warm shower or bath.

Medicines - antihistamines "", "Tavegil", "".

It must be borne in mind that some of them have a hypnotic effect and should not be used while performing work that requires concentration and reaction time, for example, driving a car. For bronchospasms, bronchodilators are used. In severe cases, doctors prescribe plasmapheresis, which clears the blood of cryoglobulins, glucocorticosteroids, and some immunosuppressants.

Most often, cold allergies appear in people who are not hardened and have foci of chronic infection (sore teeth, etc.). Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention to their treatment. Impaired liver and intestinal function predispose to allergies, including cold allergies.

Before treatment with medications, be sure to consult your doctor!

Treatment of cold allergies with folk remedies

Cold allergies can also be treated with folk remedies.

Raspberries. Pour 0.5 liters of water into 50 g of dry crushed raspberry roots. Simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Then strain and cool. Drink 2 tbsp of the decoction before going out in the morning, after lunch and before bed. spoons. Treatment period is 2 months. If you do not skip taking folk remedies, medications will not be needed. Also drink the decoction for preventative purposes, starting 2 months before the winter cold. Then in winter, you will not feel any symptoms of the disease.

Sunflower seeds and regular red beets. Just eat more unsalted seeds and beets in all types in winter, and also drink half a glass three times a day of freshly squeezed beet juice.

Celery. For cold allergies, drink freshly squeezed celery root juice. It should be taken 0.5 teaspoon before meals, three times a day.

Mumiyo. For a medicinal solution, take 1 g of mummy per 1 liter of boiling water. High-quality raw materials dissolve without sediment. Take once a day in the morning, adults 100 ml. It is possible to treat cold allergies in children in this way, but a single dose for a child 1-3 years old is 50 ml, and for a primary school child - 70 ml.

For cold allergies on the hands and face, you can lubricate the skin with a solution of a higher concentration of 1 g per 100 ml of water.

Blueberries. Grind fresh blueberries and apply them as compresses to the affected areas of the skin.

Emulsion based on celandine, burdock, mint and calendula. If a cold allergy appears on the face, there is no better remedy. Grind and mix 10 g of grass, leaves, burdock root and flowers. 5 tbsp. Pour a tablespoon of the herbal mixture with sunflower oil, so that the oil level is 1 cm above the level of the raw material, leave for 24 hours. Sterilize in a water bath, stirring gently. Strain, cool and lubricate the skin. The emulsion perfectly relieves itching and dry skin.

Pine shoots in vegetable oil. In cases where a child’s allergy to cold is manifested by dryness, peeling and redness of the skin, the formation of small cracks and itching, an infusion of pine buds in vegetable oil is prepared. Young pine shoots are infused with vegetable oil in a 1:1 ratio in a dark place for about 5 months. The infusion is gently rubbed into the baby's skin.

Birch sap to reduce allergic swelling.- an excellent general strengthening and regulating salt and water exchange agent with a mild diuretic effect. Its consumption helps to quickly eliminate allergic swelling of the hands and face. You can consume it in unlimited quantities, but for an adult the daily dose should be at least 1 liter. For cold allergies in children, this dose, depending on age, is from 200 to 500 ml. To improve the taste, you can add a little raisins, honey, dried fruits or raisins to the juice, leave for about an hour, and then drink. Not only healthy, but also very tasty.

Walnut tincture. A tincture of , which has anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and anti-allergic effects, is prepared from fresh leaves and green pericarp of the nut, at the rate of 50 g of crushed raw materials per 100 g of vodka or ethyl alcohol diluted to 40°C. Infuse in a tightly closed glass container for a week, shaking daily. The strained tincture is taken 25 drops 3 times a day 20 minutes before meals, diluted in a quarter glass of water. If a child is allergic to cold and has a cough and shortness of breath, it is recommended to give as many drops of tincture as the child is old.

Schisandra juice. If you are bothered by severe itching caused by cold allergies on the face, hands or other parts of the body, you can carefully wipe the skin with lemongrass juice when returning to a warm room, trying not to injure it.

Blue cornflower for the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. If it occurs as a symptom of cold allergy, treatment is also possible with the help of rinses and lotions from decoctions of medicinal herbs. Most often, a decoction of blue cornflower flowers is used. 1 tbsp. a spoonful of raw materials and 200 ml of boiling water, leave for about 30 minutes and then filter. The resulting decoction is used to wash the eyes or make a lotion from it, soaking gauze pads in it and placing them on the eyes for 15 minutes.

Pine needle baths. Collect twigs along with needles, boil and take baths with this decoction. It is also necessary to wash your face with it in the morning and evening. Take water and needles “by eye”; there are no strict restrictions here.

Before using folk remedies, be sure to consult your doctor!

If, fortunately, you are not yet familiar with cold allergies, make a little effort to prevent it, which is very similar to the prevention methods:

Before going outside during the cold season, lubricate exposed areas of the body with special protective creams against cold and wind. A high-quality nourishing cream is applied to the face half an hour before going outside.

Don't neglect gloves, seasonal hats, warm underwear and tights. Underwear must be made of cotton, because... Synthetics and wool increase the manifestations of cold urticaria. If possible, wear a hood, and the deeper it is, the better. Don't forget about a warm scarf.

At the first signs of a cold allergy, reduce your time outside and do not get too cold.

Hardening by dousing is also a good preventative measure, but you just need to start it in the summer and gradually reduce the water temperature.

Before going outside, try not to wash your face and other areas of the body bordering the street with soap, because... it dries out the skin, removing its natural protective film, thereby exposing the skin to the harmful effects of cold on the body.

To avoid cold allergies, as a comprehensive measure, you need to monitor your diet. Meals must be regular. It is worth excluding everything that irritates the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), smoked and deep-fried meat - first of all. It is necessary to introduce foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids into the diet - sea fish and high-quality vegetable oils.

Video about cold allergies

I hope that the information contained in this article will help you and that cold allergies will stop bothering you, and if you have your own methods of dealing with cold allergies, please share, and maybe your advice will be suitable for someone!

Cold urticaria is a poorly understood pathological condition that doctors observe in individuals with abnormal cold intolerance. This condition manifests itself when a person is in an environment with a low temperature, exposed to rain, contact with cold water, snow, ice, or consuming chilled food and drinks.

This article will introduce you to the symptoms and treatment of cold allergy-urticaria in children and adults, tell you about the causes of the disease and its prognosis.

Features of the disease

The time for the appearance of painful signs varies from 2 – 10 minutes to 1 – 3 hours after touching cold objects or prolonged exposure to cold air, sometimes delaying for a day. The disease in medicine is considered one of the types of physical urticaria, which is expressed by pathological skin changes - itchy rashes, hyperemia (redness) and more severe symptoms requiring special therapy.

The first description of this unhealthy condition appeared more than 150 years ago, but even today experts continue to study this phenomenon.

An analysis of studies and medical statistics conducted by Finnish scientists showed that out of 100 patients suffering from this type of urticaria, almost 70% are women. The average age of primary development of the disease is 23–25 years, but an abnormal reaction to cold can appear at any age.
In children - usually at least 2 - 3 years old, and very rarely - up to one and a half years.
In 30% of people suffering from this condition, a cold reaction occurs with pre-existing allergic diseases, often combined with other forms of the disease - and. Practice confirms that all symptoms in an uncomplicated course in 87% of patients subside by 5–7 years of illness.

Cold urticaria (photo)

Classification of cold urticaria

In medicine, there are two basic types of cold urticaria:

acquired, divided into primary (reflex, contact) and secondary forms;
hereditary or familial, inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, in which the mutagen is inherited by a child of either sex from either parent), appearing in early childhood.

In addition, different subtypes of acquired pathology have been studied and identified, for example:

urticaria with immediate and delayed reaction to cold;
local (local), manifested in a limited area;
manifesting itself systemically, when the entire body reacts to hypothermia (generalized form).

In most medical histories, doctors are faced with acquired primary or idiopathic (of unknown origin) cold urticaria. It mainly affects girls and women under 35 years of age, but symptoms are also observed in young children, preschoolers, and teenagers. Usually - with an existing reaction to other types of allergic irritants: food, pollen, household chemicals and cosmetics.

The video below will tell you how cold allergies appear and manifest themselves:

Causes

The etiopathogenesis (causes and mechanisms of the appearance, development of the disease, its manifestations) of cold allergy has not been fully studied. There are medical assumptions (confirmed) about the likelihood of a cold allergy connection:

The pathogenesis (mechanism of development) of the hereditary form of the disease is associated with a mutation of the CIAS1 gene, leading to transformation of the cryopyrin protein, leading to the release of the acute inflammation regulator IL-1 and the production of inflammatory interleukins IL-6, TNF-alpha and others.

External causative factors that provoke manifestations of cold allergies:

exposure of the skin to any chilled objects, water, snow and cold air (drafts, frost);
frostbite or general hypothermia of the entire body when exposed to low temperatures;
ingesting cold drinks (milkshakes, fruit juices with ice - smoothies, beer, soda), eating frozen foods (ice cream, chilled desserts).

Doctors attach the main importance in the development of the cold form of pathology to histamine (the hormone that regulates allergic reactions), mast cells (which produce it) and, probably, acetylcholine (as in the warm form of the disease). Increased amounts of histamine in blood and skin biopsies taken from patients with cold urticaria have been detected in many laboratory tests. Moreover, its concentration in the blood of patients varies significantly.

Symptoms

In the typical development of cold allergies, changes occur on the skin within 2 to 5 minutes after exposure to cold, accompanied by:

, tingling, burning and soreness that precede a skin reaction;
rapid formation on the skin area:
- , dense, itchy;
- (abnormal redness);
- local swelling in the area of contact with cold;
, sometimes covering red, swollen skin (similar to dermatitis);
the appearance of bruises in the areas of the rash after some time (a day or two).

In children, blisters and erythema often extend to the popliteal cavities, inner thighs, and lower legs.

In addition to skin symptoms, when going out into cold air, many patients experience:

mucus from the nose;
sneezing, congestion due to swelling of the nasal mucosa;
dry, hacking cough;
tearing, swelling of the eyelids, itching, irritation in the eyes, sensitivity to light.

These symptoms quickly disappear when returning to a warm room.

Features of manifestation

Two, three or all signs may appear at once. Sometimes they occur only when the whole body cools (generalized form).
An atypical manifestation of reflex urticaria is expressed in the appearance of pinpoint itchy pink rashes or blisters around a cooled area of skin, while the skin that was directly affected by the cold is not affected.

As a rule, with mild severity of the disease, skin changes affect the face and hands. Their maximum intensity is observed when cold areas are warmed up.

The symptoms subside within half an hour to an hour. However, with further “contacts with cold” allergic manifestations usually intensify.
It happens that the disease is accompanied by urticarial rashes that appear a few minutes after contact with cold, but do not disappear on the skin for up to 7–10 days or longer.

A state of such prolonged retention of skin changes, as well as an abnormally delayed manifestation of symptoms, warns of the development of other serious disorders in the body that require immediate diagnosis.

We'll talk about what cold allergies look like in severe cases below.

Severe course

The severity of allergic and systemic manifestations in cold urticaria is related to the area of cooling and the degree of exposure. Prolonged hypothermia of the entire body can lead to severe disorders due to the sudden entry into the blood of a large amount of histamine, released from many mast cells.

With this development of cold urticaria, the generalization of the process (spread to the entire body), more serious changes occur:

blisters with surrounding redness grow, accompanied by acute itching and, merging with each other, form extensive dense swelling;
in 5 out of 100 sick people, after cold foods or drinks, the tissues of the tongue and pharynx swell, which in unfavorable conditions leads to asphyxia (more often in children due to the narrowness of the respiratory tract);
severe nausea appears;
the temperature rises to 38 – 39C;
joints suddenly begin to ache;
There is nasal congestion, lacrimation, and runny nose.

With extreme sensitivity to cold, cooling a large surface of the skin can cause:

The patient suffers from bouts of vomiting and chills at high temperatures.
The heartbeat quickens, the rhythm of breathing and heart contractions is disrupted.
There is bronchospasm, cough and shortness of breath.
Spasmodic pain in the abdomen, vomiting, and diarrhea develop.
The patient complains of severe weakness, headache, nausea.
Blood pressure decreases, leading to dizziness and loss of consciousness.

In medicine, cases of death of patients have been recorded due to the aggression of a high-intensity cold factor affecting a large area of the body - for example, after severe hypothermia (freezing), frostbite, immersion in cold water.

Courses of genetically determined pathology

In most cases, familial cold syndrome is detected in infants before six months of age based on the main signs that develop within 1 to 3 hours after exposure to cold:

Temperature rise.
Itchy, swollen rashes, red spots, blisters.
Joint pain.

These signs increase within 6–8 hours, disappearing after approximately 20–24 hours. In addition, during a cold allergic attack in children, the following is often observed:

itching, lacrimation and redness of the mucous membranes of the eyes;
severe sweating, drowsiness, lethargy, children complaining of headaches;
acute thirst, nausea.

Moreover, the attack is provoked by even slight cooling of the body (for example, ventilation of the room), and relapses occur more often in the cold season. The specificity of familial urticaria associated with a gene mutation is the delayed onset of symptoms (in the range of half an hour to 2 - 3 hours).

Moreover, the main diagnostic test involving applying an ice cube to the skin, which provokes an allergy, is negative. More often, general symptoms occur, including arthralgia (joint pain), a rash in the form of red spots with blisters, burning, fever, and chills. Since in this type of disease a urticarial rash (similar to a nettle burn) sometimes appears 10 to 30 hours after exposure to cold, doctors often make a false diagnosis of an idiopathic nature (that is, with an unknown cause).

Atypical hereditary cold allergy

It manifests itself from early childhood with itching, erythema (redness) and swelling, and rash. In this condition, convulsions, severe angioedema (severe, dense tissue swelling, often laryngeal edema) are common. The atypical form is distinguished by the absence of common typical symptoms of cold allergy: fever, chills, joint pain, nausea, vomiting.

An attack in 100% of cases will be caused by cold air, being in an external environment with high humidity and wind, swimming in cool water (93%), chilled drinks and foods.
An acute allergic reaction with a severe course can be provoked by children playing outside at low temperatures (football, hockey, sledding, cycling, skiing). At the same time, physical activity in a warm room does not lead to an exacerbation of the disease, and a standard diagnostic test for cold gives a negative result.

Diagnostics

The method for diagnosing cold allergies is quite simple. This is a provocative test, which involves applying a cold object to the skin to see the reaction. An ice cube is placed in a thin plastic bag to prevent contact of water and skin, since if the test result is positive, cold urticaria may be confused with (an allergic reaction to plain water).

Ice is placed on the back of the forearm for 4 minutes and the skin reaction is assessed after 10 - 15 minutes. A challenge is considered positive if there is obvious redness or a blister at the site where the ice cube was applied, accompanied by itching, swelling, tingling or soreness.

If the body is overly sensitive to cold, the skin swells and turns red within half a minute.
However, with the atypical development of genetically determined urticaria or with a delayed (slow) reaction, when all signs on the skin appear late - from half an hour to several hours after the test, this method is not accurate. Therefore, to confirm the diagnosis, blood tests are performed on the patient.
If a skin test to ice does not give a positive reaction, but a person suffers from a cold allergy, then the presence of cold agglutinins (cold antibodies), cryoglobulins, and cryofibrinogen is detected in the patient’s serum.

To distinguish familial cold autoimmune urticaria from idiopathic urticaria, an ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and C-reactive protein test is performed. An increase in the level of these indicators is characteristic of the first form of the disease.

Today, other types of cold tests such as keeping the patient for 10-20 minutes without clothes in a room with a temperature of 4C or immersing the forearm in cold water for 10 minutes are not used - due to the high risk of developing an acute attack of cold urticaria.

We will tell you below how to treat and cure cold allergies (urticaria).

Treatment

Therapeutic method

Theoretical and practical medicine proves that in most patients, high sensitivity to allergen irritants (in this disease - to cold) is promoted by chronically ongoing pathologies - inflammatory, autoimmune, infectious, diseases of the biliary tract, liver.

Therefore, the treatment of cold urticaria involves their active identification and treatment. A mandatory basis for alleviating the symptoms of cold allergies is the maximum possible exclusion of contact with cold, including any hypothermia of the body or individual organs (refusal of long stays outside during the frost and rainy season, long swimming in the summer , cold food and drink).

Read below about ointments, creams and other remedies for cold allergies.

By medication

Local treatment

Skin manifestations after exposure to tissue irritating cold, such as itching, rash, erythema, swelling, pain, can be easily relieved with special ointments, emulsions, and creams.

They use Radevit, Protopic, Skin Cap, Psilo-balsam, Elidel, Eplan, Psilo-balsam, La-Cri, Gistan (without the letter “H”), Advantan (if these products themselves do not provoke allergies).
In case of severe painful itching and swelling, the use of glucosteroid external ointments is provided: Bufexamak, Gistan N, Elokom, Sinaf-ointment, Akriderm GK, Celestoderm.

Complex therapy

To relieve patients from cold allergic urticaria, treatment tactics are used that involve the complex use of several types of medications that solve different problems. The following medications are prescribed.

Histamine H1 receptor antagonists

Fexofenadine 60 – 240 mg 2 times a day, Erius (desloratadine) 5 mg/day for patients over 12 years of age (if the therapeutic effect is insignificant, take 20 mg). Children's daily doses of Desloratadine in milligrams: 1.25 from 1 to 5 years and 2.5 from 6 to 11. – adults 10 mg once.

At acute attacks administered intramuscularly, Pipolfen.
At chronic relapses cold urticaria use:
- Ketotifen: adults 0.001 g 2 times a day, children over 3 years old 4 ml of syrup, infants up to 6 months - 2.5 ml twice a day (course 2 - 5 months);
- Ebastine: for patients over 12 years old, once 10–20 mg, from 6 to 11, 5 mg each;
- Cyproheptadine: adults take 4 - 8 mg (3 - 4 times a day, respectively), children are given a daily dose divided into 3 - 4 times, calculated taking into account the norm of 0.25 - 0.5 mg per 1 kg of body weight.

In addition to these H1 receptor antagonists, the following are prescribed: Cetrin, Cetirizine, Levocetirizine, Alerzin, Kestin, Elerta.

H2 receptor antagonists

Added if the patient does not respond to treatment with H1 receptor blockers.

Cimetidine: adults 0.3 grams 3 – 4 times a day. Children from one year old - in a daily dose calculated based on the norm of 25 - 30 mg / kg of body weight, up to 12 months - the norm is 20 mg per 1 kg of baby weight), Ranitidine for adults 150 - 300 mg per day, Famotidine 20 mg 2 r. /day.
A good therapeutic result is achieved by a short course of first generation antihistamines with a sedative (calming) effect - Pipolfen, Tavegil, Suprastin, simultaneously with second - fourth generation antihistamines.

Glucocorticosteroid drugs

Used for a short course in patients who do not respond to treatment with antiallergic drugs. And for a long time - in severe cases, as well as with a high probability of an anaphylactic reaction.

0.04 – 0.06 g per day or 0.02 – 0.04 g every other day;
0.004 – 0.020 g per day.

Elena Malysheva in this video will talk about whether cold urticaria can be treated with folk remedies:

Additional medications

In addition, for patients who do not respond positively to antihistamines, the following is indicated:
- leukotriene receptor blocker Montelukast – 0.010 g/day;
- calcium channel blocker – 0.020 – 0.060 g per day.
If a (little studied) disease is suspected, in which, in addition to histamine, acetylcholine is involved in the inflammatory allergic process, the following is prescribed:
- Combined agents with m-choline blockers: Bellaspon, Bellantaminal, (1 tablet 3 times a day);
- Cyproheptadine. Adults - 0.004 g 3 - 4 times a day, children 2 - 6 years old are prescribed a daily dose of 0.006 g, which is divided into three doses, 6 - 14 years old - 0.006 - 0.012 g per day.
For frequent relapses that deplete the nervous system, accompanied by insomnia due to pain and severe itching, the following are prescribed: antidepressants - Paroxetine, Fluoxetine, Doxepin, benzodiazepine tranquilizers.
For cold allergies associated with systemic diseases, in a certain part of patients, when traditional drugs are “inactive”, medications that are used in rheumatology are used, including Dapsone, Sulfasalazine, Colchicine, Hydroxychloroquine.

For general inflammatory and allergic manifestations, symptoms are eliminated by prescribing appropriate medications:

chills, temperature - analgesics (Ibuprofen, Spazgan, Ketonal,);
nausea, vomiting – Cerucal (tablets, injections);
abdominal cramps - Decitel, Duspalitin, Papaverine (injection), diarrhea - Loperamide, Smecta;
bronchospasm - bronchodilators to ease breathing, Eufillin with Dexamethasone (intravenously);
if urticaria is accompanied by allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis, when going out into the cold, use drops: Acelastin, Parlazin, Allergodil, Fenistil.

Severe course

For patients who are not sensitive to traditional therapy:

Androgens.
Immunosuppressants: Cyclosporine, Omalizumab.
Antiviral interferon-beta, which in 85% of cases gives complete disappearance of symptoms and cryoglobulins in the blood.
When treating familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome, both non-hormonal anti-inflammatory medications and high doses of corticosteroids (Dexamethasone, Prednisolone) are often prescribed during attacks. But the interleukin-1 inhibitor Anakinra, administered every day at a dose calculated according to the formula 0.001 g per 1 kg of patient weight, has a particularly high therapeutic effect.
Situations where, during cooling, a life-threatening condition similar to anaphylactic shock occurs, require immediate administration of Adrenaline to the patient.

Read below to learn how to get rid of cold allergy-urticaria using other methods.

Other methods

In case of severe and frequent relapses of cold allergies, the following is carried out:

Procedures for extracorporeal blood purification from cryoglobulins.
Autolymphocytotherapy.

It is considered to be the safest technique, which involves the subcutaneous injection of lymphocytes isolated from the patient’s blood. A total of 8 injections are given every other day, with the course lasting 3 to 4 weeks. With the help of autolymphocytotherapy, patients (of any age) who are contraindicated for treatment with other methods are relieved of cold urticaria. Moreover, in 90% of cases, this therapy cures patients with cold urticaria completely.

Prevention of disease

Manifestations of this type of urticaria can be prevented if the patient avoids:

Hypothermia in any form (cold, damp air combined with wind is especially dangerous).
Contact with ice, cold water and refrigerated foods.
Before going outside during “wet” and frosty seasons:
- Apply a thin layer of fatty (in no case moisturizing) cream to the face and lips, preferably children’s forms;
- uses rich lanolin lipstick;
- puts on thermal underwear with a high content of natural threads, to protect the face from the cold, uses warm balaclavas, tube scarves that cover the face as much as possible, and gloves and mittens made from natural materials.

Hardening

Experts cannot come to a consensus regarding hardening for cold allergies, but all doctors agree that hypothermia is unacceptable. Extreme caution is necessary when trying to harden children, in whom even slight cooling can cause unpredictable consequences. For children under 3 years of age, all hardening procedures associated with cold are absolutely contraindicated.

In adults, with careful monitoring of symptoms, it is better to start hardening with the face, hands and feet, first simply wiping them with water, the temperature of which is very slowly reduced. If the reaction does not cause concern, they proceed to hardening the face, hands and feet with water - with a gradual (over the course of months) decrease in its temperature, being in constant readiness to immediately stop the procedure and having all the therapeutic means to prevent an attack.

Complications

Any type of urticaria is dangerous due to the provocation of complications:

Penetration of harmful microbes deep into the skin in places of scratching during itching with its further infection.
Severe swelling of organs, including the larynx, which threatens to block the airways and suffocate the patient (extreme danger for children).
Bronchial spasm similar to an asthmatic reaction
Anaphylactic shock, which can cause death from cardiac arrest in 2 to 5 minutes.

Therefore, if with cold urticaria, in addition to itching and rash on the skin, there is a cough, wheezing and whistling when breathing, dizziness, “gnats” in the eyes, vomiting, dizziness and loss of consciousness, and any other signs of concern, an ambulance cannot be called doubt.

Cold allergy forecast

With proper treatment of urticaria itself, concomitant diseases and prevention, relapses occur less frequently, and within 3 to 7 years the disease can disappear without a trace.

But cold urticaria can become deadly with general cooling (with massive histamine release). Thus, even after a harmless swim in cool water, a patient with a severe allergy to cold may die due to systemic damage (drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, coma, suffocation).

You will find even more useful information about cold urticaria in this video:

Many people, experiencing considerable discomfort when cold weather sets in, leaf through medical reference books, looking for the treasured lines: “cold allergy: symptoms and treatment.”

Recently, doctors denied such a phenomenon as cold allergy, since there was no allergen in it, but only stated the physical impact of weather conditions. This term means that the physiological abnormality is caused by low temperature.

Cold allergy: what is it?

People who are faced with the body's response to frosty air often ask: what is a cold allergy? By external signs, a cold allergy resembles damage to the body by a provoking factor, but in fact there is no allergen in such skin damage.

Dampness, frost and cold weather are factors that can trigger sensitization or sensitivity leading to cold allergies.

A person experiencing a cold allergy is interested in how to distinguish a reaction to cold, as well as how to treat its symptoms. First of all, before treatment, you need to know what a cold allergy is, its symptoms and how to recognize it.

A person who cares about health should know what cold allergies are, the symptoms and treatment of this unpleasant problem. Medicine did not recognize cold allergies for a long time, since there was no allergen in the cold form of skin allergy, but over time, research showed a different fact.

When a provoking source, that is, frost, is exposed to the body, a sharp release of histamine begins in it, leading to allergies. As a result, symptoms characteristic of cold allergies appear: swelling of the extremities, itching throughout the body and gradual dilation of blood vessels. This is the response of skin receptors to dampness and frost, where treatment is required.

Symptoms of an allergy to cold

Returning from the street, people feel the symptoms of temperature changes. When returning from frosty air to warmth, parts of the body that were open to contact with street air turn red. This phenomenon is considered normal and does not cause much discomfort as it passes quickly.

Under normal conditions, this is explained by a rush of blood to the skin due to constricting blood vessels, which expand when warm and the skin becomes red. This phenomenon in adults and children disappears after 30-40 minutes. It doesn't need to be treated.

If we are talking about the symptoms of a cold allergy to frosty air, then it should be noted that its manifestations can come in various forms: in mild forms, a person experiences itching and swelling only upon direct contact with an external irritant, that is, on the street. Once he returns indoors, the cold symptoms disappear. This requires proper treatment.

Severe forms of the disease manifest themselves in redness and swelling of the skin, which last for several days and disappear only after treatment.

Most often, allergies occur in areas of the body that are not protected from air currents. This list can include the neck, arms, face, and also legs. These places are the most vulnerable because they often lack protective clothing against the cold.

In addition to allergies, some people experience allergic rhinitis from cold allergies, which makes it difficult to breathe. Breathing is difficult and accompanied by sneezing. After returning to the room, where the air temperature is close to optimal, the symptoms of a runny nose disappear.

Symptoms of cold allergies include the following:

Presence of symptoms of tearing.
Pain in the eye area and sensitivity in bright light.
Swelling around the eyes and swelling of the eyelids are a clear symptom.
Burning and itching of the skin, which manifests itself in peeling.
Tears, sneezing and coughing.
Chills and periodic headaches.
Seals appearing on the surface of the skin, as well as blisters, which are an important symptom.

Due to the “established” symptoms, the allergic cold response to frost is sometimes called differently:

cold rhinitis, which is associated with the occurrence of a runny nose and allergies in frosty air;
cold conjunctivitis, which occurs in windy weather and forms excess discharge from the eyes;
cold dermatitis, which occurs after visiting the street in wet weather, and its manifestations are peeling of the skin and damage to its cover, as well as red spots;
cold asthma, which occurs as a reaction to fresh frosty air and is dangerous for suffocation in both adults and children;
cold urticaria, which is characterized by skin rashes, as if injured by nettles.

Sometimes cold allergies are confused with infectious diseases, as well as ARVI. A distinctive feature of these diseases is the absence of fever. The cold type of allergy in adults and children is almost never accompanied by an increase in temperature, but treatment is necessary.

Swelling of the larynx and mucous membranes is noticeably different from that which can be observed during problems with infectious diseases.

Allergic urticaria

Diagnosis of cold allergy

If a person has discovered the above symptoms and noticed a cold allergy on the hands and other skin of loved ones, then he should immediately visit an immunologist-allergist or therapist for treatment.

The cause of the allergic reaction and symptoms to changing weather will be determined through diagnostic and laboratory methods, and then treatment will be prescribed.

Cold allergies should be differentiated from other signs of disease by identifying symptoms, and the patient should be prescribed qualified treatment.

This disease is sometimes confused with ailments that have similar symptoms but different treatments:

Atopic dermatitis is common in children, which has a number of symptoms, like a cold response and a sign when the skin itches and requires treatment;
allergies to perfume compositions that are applied to the area of the hands or neck can cause hyperemia and itching, so these types of allergies are easy to confuse; they are not classified as cold allergies;
intolerance to natural fur products, which often manifests itself in women when wearing a fur coat or coat made from natural ingredients, this requires treatment, but it is not of a cold type;
idiopathic dermatosis is characterized by similar symptoms and these two types of disease, in many cases, can only be differentiated from cold by a medical specialist.

After a comprehensive examination, you need to diagnose the cause of the allergic reaction, symptoms and receive a competent treatment regimen.

Manifestation of cold allergies on hands

Treatment of allergies to cold

The main conditions in the treatment of cold allergies do not differ from the elimination of true allergies. First, it is important to treat the source of the cold allergy. In other words, for cold-type allergies, reduce contact with cold air and snow as much as possible, which will be the treatment.

Allergy sufferers who react to weather conditions are advised to wear clothing made from natural fabrics and not to walk in low temperatures, so as not to require treatment for a cold-type reaction.

The degree of cooling that can cause side effects on the skin varies from person to person. If for some people it is enough to be outside, where the temperature has dropped to -8 degrees and symptoms of a cold reaction appear, where treatment is required, then others experience an allergic reaction after contact with cold water and already need to take medicine.

If for some reason it was not possible to protect yourself from contact with low temperatures, symptoms appear, you need to take a shower and warm up, then the cold allergy will gradually go away without treatment.

There are medications to treat the symptom of reaction to cold air. Medicines used for this type of allergic reaction are as follows:

Claritin;
Suprastin;
Tavegil.

In our country, you can purchase drugs for the treatment of cold allergies at the following prices:

Some antihistamines have a hypnotic effect and should not be used when performing work that requires high concentration. The ban on medications primarily applies to driving a car during the treatment period.

If the symptom of a cold allergy does not go away, then a special type of treatment is required; doctors prescribe glucocosteroids and immunosuppressants for the cold reaction.

In the presence of bronchospasms, bronchodilators are used to treat allergies to eliminate symptoms.

Attention! Before taking any drug for treatment, consultation with a medical specialist is required.

Treatment with folk remedies

Folk remedies in the treatment of cold allergies are of great importance and can be used at home to eliminate the symptoms of the body's cold reaction. They, along with drug therapy, can not only eliminate the symptoms of the disease, but also protect a person from such a reaction during further stay on the street.

Typically, for cold allergies, the following folk remedies are used to eliminate symptoms and treatment:

Celery juice. This plant is taken in the form of juice for treatment and the symptoms of cold allergies will go away. The recommended dose is 0.5 teaspoon three times a day before meals and cold allergies will not occur on the hands and face, because the symptoms will disappear.
Pounded blueberries. Blueberries should be thoroughly ground and applied to allergy-affected areas of the body against frosty weather to treat cold reactions and eliminate symptoms.
Schisandra juice. If a person is bothered by burning and itching in the affected areas of the body due to cold allergic exposure, then after frost, returning to a warm room, the skin should be treated with lemongrass juice, which can eliminate these symptoms.
Taking a pine needle bath. The needles are collected together with needles, and they are boiled at home. Then a bath with these branches is prepared for treatment. Allergy sufferers are advised not only to take a bath with these plants, but also to wash their faces during the day and evening so that cold allergies do not arise as a symptom.
Birch sap for the treatment of swelling of the hands and feet due to the body's cold reaction. Drinking birch sap is useful not only for those people who want to treat cold allergies, but also for those who are concerned about their health. The recommended daily dose of this liquid is one liter. This remedy has a diuretic effect and can treat the symptom of swelling of the extremities in cold allergies. It is also an anti-inflammatory drink. To improve the taste, you need to add a little dried apricots or raisins, which helps relieve symptoms and treatment. There is no need to add sugar, as it is harmful to the body. Birch sap is not only a tasty folk remedy for treatment, but also a skin protector from harmful symptoms of many ailments, including cold allergies.
Treatment with sunflower seeds and beet juice. These products can provide treatment against cold response symptoms and stop the disease through treatment. To treat cold-type allergies, seeds are consumed several times a week, and I drink beet juice half a glass a day for three times to relieve symptoms of cold-type allergies and eliminate symptoms.
Infusion of pine shoots. If an allergic reaction is accompanied by dryness and the formation of small lesions on the skin, then it is recommended to use an infusion for treatment based on pine shoots, which can relieve the symptoms of cold-type allergies. Pine buds are infused with vegetable oil in a 1:1 ratio. The product must be infused for five months, after which it can be used for treatment. It is rubbed into the affected areas of the skin so that the cold reaction does not appear and the symptoms disappear.
Raspberries. Raspberry roots can protect the body from cold allergies. To prepare the recipe, you need to have 50 grams of raspberry roots with you. Before treatment, they are poured with boiling water. Then simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Next, the infusion should cool completely. The decoction should be consumed before going out into the cold, two tablespoons at a time, to prevent symptoms of a cold-type allergic reaction. Treatment with infusion begins two months before the onset of the winter season. If you use the decoction before the start of the winter season and the onset of cold allergy symptoms, then you can protect the body from irritation to the cold and cold allergies will not appear.

Clothes when leaving home should be sufficiently insulated. This rule must be used. It is important to ensure that your hands and feet are protected from drafts. Warm socks and gloves are faithful helpers in the fight against cold allergies. Clothing should be made from natural fabrics and not contain synthetic materials that can cause unpleasant symptoms. They negatively affect the condition of the skin, exacerbating existing allergy symptoms. Wool is also not recommended for use, since in its pure form this material can injure the skin and also cause allergies. A hood on the head will protect the body from the effects of frost and wind, thereby protecting against histamine release in the body.
Chapstick should be used before going outside to avoid cold allergy. This will protect your lips from cold exposure. You should apply weather cream to your face, but not before going outside, but half an hour before. In case of a cold reaction, the face will be protected. There are also special ointments, but their use is agreed with a medical specialist when a person has a cold type of allergy.
Before going outside, you need to drink a hot drink, but not an intoxicating one, since alcohol will negatively affect the condition of the skin and human health and will not eliminate the cold type of reaction.
You need to breathe outside through your nose, not your mouth. Inhalation should be normal, but not deep, without tension.
The diet also affects the body, so you need to monitor it and build it in accordance with the recommended standards for cold allergies. It is better to avoid fatty foods and replace them with fruits, vegetables and cooked foods. Oily fish, which contain omega-3, is allowed to be consumed.
Badger fat is an effective remedy against cold allergies. It is able to enrich the body with beneficial vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids to combat cold allergies. Its effect on the body is manifested in strengthening the immune system. It is used forty minutes before leaving the house in the proportion of one spoon.
A person with a weakened immune system should pay attention to the gradual hardening of his body. This must be done without much fanaticism. Ice and cold water are used after preliminary preparation. It is recommended to start hardening in the summer, and not in the winter season.

People who are seriously thinking about their treatment should notice the first manifestations of a cold allergy and consult a doctor in a timely manner.

You cannot turn a blind eye to obvious symptoms or ignore the cold reaction. This can lead to complications and serious consequences from cold allergies.

Conclusion

Cold allergy is a very unpleasant reaction of the body to an external irritant. With the right approach to identifying the cause of cold allergies and choosing the right treatment, this feature of the body may never happen again. You should not let cold allergies take their course or self-medicate, since only a doctor can make a prescription.