Awareness for Cold Urticaria and other Cold Allergies
Awareness that Cold Allergies exist and are debilitating and life threatening for affected individuals is very important. Medical professionals are most important. Even in this day and time of advanced awareness for medical issues, their are doctors and paramedics that have never heard of an allergy to temperatures. Despite many reactions are truly pseudo allergies, the life-threatening outcomes and treatments remain the same.
Cold contact urticaria accounts for approximately 3% of all cases of chronic urticaria. Among all physical urticarias, CCU represents the second most common subtype after symptomatic dermographism. CCU is characterized by the development of wheal and/or angioedema within minutes after cold contact. Extensive cold contact of large areas of skin may lead to systemic reactions such as generalized urticaria, dyspnoea, tachycardia, hypotension and loss of consciousness. Severe CCU has a significant impact on the patient’s quality of life both in a physical and psychological sense.
US National Library of Science – NCBI
