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A 34-year-old man collapsed after getting out of the bathroom, and his family found him on the floor, according to a case report published Oct. 27 in the Journal of Emergency Medicine.
The man was having difficulty breathing and his skin was covered with hives. He was suffering from a potentially fatal allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
When paramedics arrived, his family told them the man had a history of “cold weather allergy,” according to the report. He previously suffered from allergies in response to a cold, but not anaphylaxis.
The report says these events began after he was transferred from Micronesia, which has a tropical climate, to Colorado, which experiences cooler temperatures.
Doctors treated the man with epinephrine and oxygen, and took him to the emergency room. When he arrived at the hospital, he was sweating and had allergic spots all over his body.
Doctors diagnosed her with cold hives, an allergic skin reaction after exposure to cold temperatures, including cold air or cold water, according to the Mayo Clinic. People can also develop symptoms after consuming cold foods or drinks, “Life Science” previously reported.
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The most common symptom is the appearance of a red rash (hives) after exposure to a cold. But in more severe cases, people can develop anaphylaxis, which can lead to low blood pressure and narrowing of the airways, making it difficult to breathe.
These more serious reactions usually occur when the skin of the entire body is exposed to cold, such as when people swim in cold water, according to the Mayo Clinic. In the case of the man, his whole body was exposed to the cold air after leaving the bathroom.
The doctor confirmed the man’s diagnosis using an “ice cube test,” which involves placing an ice cube on the skin for 5 minutes. And if the patient has a red lump on the skin, in which an ice cube is placed, he is diagnosed with cold urticaria.
It’s not clear how common the disease is overall – a study in Europe found a prevalence of 0.05%, according to the National Institutes of Health.
In most cases, the cause of the disease is unknown, but sometimes it can be hereditary. In other people, cold urticaria is caused by something that affects the immune system, such as a viral infection or certain types of cancer.
The allergic reaction occurs because exposure to cold causes the immune system to release chemicals called histamine, which trigger an inflammatory response, “Life Science” reported.
In hospital, the man was treated with antihistamines and steroids and his condition improved. Before leaving the hospital, she was advised to avoid exposure to cold water or other situations in which her whole body could be exposed to the cold.
Source: ScienceAlert
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