A woman from Longueuil has been preparing in recent days to spend several months locked in her home due to her severe allergy to cold, which manifests itself even when she has to take food from her refrigerator.
Marie Greif is one of the rare people who get cold hives. In Canada, it is estimated that less than 1% of the population suffers from this allergy, but it is still difficult to have precise data on this subject.
“From October, I winter until April, early May. So I really live in the house,” she explained in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
The cold represents more than just discomfort for her. Ms. Greif has no choice but to put on gloves when she has to get something from her fridge.
The slightest contact with the cold causes significant red patches on his skin, before starting to swell and itch, a situation which has sometimes led him to the hospital.
Consuming a drink that is too cold is also difficult for her since it can affect her respiratory system.
Because of her allergy, the Longueuil resident sometimes faces a lot of prejudice.
“We get looked at crosswise by saying “but why don’t you go live in the south”. In the south, it’s the same cold: opening the fridge, the air conditioning that I can’t use, even taking a shower is problematic,” she said.
“As long as I have a crisis, I would just as much like to have it where I have good medical monitoring,” she added.
According to allergists, cold allergy, the causes of which are still mysterious, can in certain cases create anaphylactic shock.
“We know that there are twice as many women as men who get hives because the allergy cells, which react, have hormone receptors on their surface and after menopause, it becomes equal between the two sexes,” also indicated Dr. Philippe Bégin, allergist at the CHUM and CHU Sainte-Justine.
