Thalia Chevalier – This content is produced by ATM – Journalism students at Cégep de Jonquière.
Allergy to cold is manifested by the appearance of hives (redness, swelling, itching of the skin, etc.) often localized on the area in contact with the cold, most of the time, the face and hands. “Everyone reacts differently. Each person has their own thermostat, some will react at zero degrees, others at -10 degrees, explains the specialist in allergy-immunology who works at the Montreal Allergy and Asthma Clinic, Marie-Noël Primeau. It can happen to a person who goes outside in winter, but also to someone who goes swimming in a lake. »
Pascale Lupien noticed that Marc-Antoine, her nine-year-old son, was allergic to the cold from the age of four. “We noticed it during one of the first winter outings, we saw that he had big blisters on his cheek, so we went back straight away, but we had been outside for five minutes,” says -she.
Pascale Lupien showed the photos of her son’s hives to a pharmacist who advised her to consult her doctor and her allergist, both of whom confirmed the diagnosis of cold urticaria. (Courtesy)
Marc-Antoine’s allergy diminishes over the years. “Now it has become very mild, as he gets older he is less and less allergic, because his immune system is hardening,” notes his mother. As with Marc-Antoine, in most cases, the symptoms of cold urticaria or at least their intensity disappear over the years. “There are people who will be stuck with it all their lives and others it will last a few winters, but there is nothing that can prevent it from going away over the years,” confirms allergist Primeau. .
For Audrey Provencher, aged 41, her allergy to cold appeared when she was in CEGEP and unfortunately did not disappear. She did not know about this allergy and was able to put a name to her symptoms very late. “It exists for real and it’s inconvenient. I noticed it when I was cycling to school and as soon as it was cold my thigh would get swollen with red patches like hives then it lasts really long with itching and soreness. discomfort,” she confides. At that time, she didn’t think about taking medication to relieve herself, more often than not she waited for it to pass by warming her skin.
Consequences of cold urticaria
Some people should avoid direct contact with cold objects, consuming cold drinks and even swimming. For allergy-immunology specialist, Marie-Noël Primeau, “it can affect their lives if it prevents them from doing activities they enjoy (swimming, winter sports, etc.). People will avoid doing these activities, sometimes they go anyway, but they will be bothered by it. It’s rarely more serious reactions,” she says.
To relieve the symptoms of this disease, Ms. Lupien and Ms. Provencher use balms that act as a barrier between the skin and the cold, moisturizing creams and cover up a lot before going out. There is also a medical treatment, but “it is not a curative treatment, that is to say it will not make the allergy disappear, it will block the reaction to cold in situations where hives could arrive. We often give antihistamines to block the reaction before exposure, there are people who take this every day in winter,” explains Ms. Primeau. In the most serious cases, the doctor may prescribe an epinephrine auto-injector, indicates Allergie Québec.
“People need to see a specialist if they think they may be
allergic, because if they are, we can find the best way to live with it. Cold urticaria is something that has existed for a long time, we know enough about it to relieve patients,” admits the allergist.
Causes
As with most allergies “we cannot know why it happens to one person and not to another, however we think that it is the cells of the body which are activated by the cold which release the amines (responsible for allergies) “, admits Ms. Primeau. According to Allergie Québec, there are two categories of cold allergy. Familial type urticaria (10% of cases) which is transmitted from one generation to another through defective genes. Acquired urticaria (90% of cases) which can be primary if the cause is unknown or secondary if the cause is identified (viral infection).
