Cold allergy symptoms can occur when the person is exposed to cold in autumn or winter, but this can also occur even in summer when the person enters a waterfall or is on the beach and the sea has very cold water, as in Rio. Sao Paulo.
This type of allergy can also affect people who have to work in the butcher’s fridge, in the frozen section of the supermarket or in laboratories where it is necessary to be at low temperatures, for example. Symptoms usually appear minutes after exposure to cold or prolonged contact with cold water. Understand how cold affects your health.
- Symptoms that may indicate a cold allergy.
- A condition scientifically called pernithosis or cold hives.
- May include:.
Women are the hardest hit and the hardest-hit areas are the hands, feet, nose and ears. A similar disease is Raynaud’s syndrome, a condition characterized by an alteration of blood flow in the hands and feet, altering the color of these limbs. Learn more about Raynaud’s syndrome.
A cold allergy diagnosis is based on an analysis of the symptoms described by the person, as well as tests, such as biopsy, which is designed to evaluate injuries. Understand what a biopsy is and how it’s done.
When cold allergy is very common and symptoms persist for days, causing discomfort in a person’s life, it is recommended to consult a doctor as tests may be needed to indicate that there is another condition at the same time. The most appropriate doctor is the dermatologist who may recommend the use of vasodilator medications.
Other treatment options for cold allergy include
As soon as the first signs of cold allergy are noticed, it is important to warm the affected area of the body as soon as possible to prevent the progression of symptoms. If the person is on the beach, for example, he or she may wrap himself in a towel or pareo and stay in the sun for a while until the bloodstream normalizes and the skin stops itching and deflating.
For people who live or work in cold environments, it is important to protect the limbs of the body by wearing gloves and boots, for example. In addition, it is recommended not to smoke and avoid drinking alcoholic beverages, as they may aggravate allergy symptoms.
Regular exercise is important to stimulate blood circulation and reduce the risk of allergy. In addition, exercise normalizes blood flow and temperature in the allergy-affected area.
The use of antihistamines can be done to control seizures and avoid complications, such as airway blockage and therefore suffocation, for example. The use of these medications should be recommended by your doctor and are usually consumed at higher doses than normal.
Adrenaline use occurs only in more severe cases, when there is a risk of cardiac arrest and total breathing blockage, which can occur when the person has an allergy, but still stays in cold sea or waterfall water, for example. Example. Know the effects of adrenaline on your body.
It’s important to avoid all the factors that can make a person feel cold. Therefore, it is advisable to ensure that the body stays warm and dry, avoiding traveling to very cold places, such as winter in Europe, avoiding sucking ice popsicles or ice cream, always taking hot baths, preferring closed shoes because even the use of an open shoe or sandals can cause the development of symptoms in the toes, when walking along the beach, , in colder weather, for example.
Cold hives are not permanent, but after the first symptoms appear, the person should receive this care for the next 10 years.
If the person does not follow the recommendations and does not follow treatment, complications may arise from lack of blood in small areas of the body such as necrosis, which is characterized by the blackened color of the affected area and is difficult to cure. and amputation is usually performed.
In addition, lack of treatment can cause cellulite, which is inflammation of an area of the body, nerve damage, thrombophlebitis, cardiac arrest and airway obstruction.