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cold induced rash

by sunflower garden, Jun 10, 2006 12:00AM
My daughter who is now 2 gets a rash whenever her skin is exposed to cold.I started noticing it last winter, when the air indoors or outdoors is 65 degrees or cooler she gets bumps that are slightly raised and they do not seem to itch. They kind of look like welts and she doesn't seem to even know they are there. I asked her peditrician about it and she doesn't think that it is a problem but she couldn't tell me what the cause was, she just said that babies skin is sensitive and she would most likely grow out of it. It is very annoying to me because other mom's are afraid and tend to pull their children away from mine because they think she has an illness of some sort. I searched this website and found a condition called cold urticaria but I don't know if this is right because it doesn't seem to itch or bother her. She also eats ice and cold drinks and she doesn't complain of anything.(she speaks very well for her age and tells me when she is uncomfortable ex.cold,hot,hurt,itchy,tired.). Any suggestions on what this might be? Thank you.
Member Comments (20)

by star queen, Jun 10, 2006 12:00AM
Cold uticaria is an "allergy" to the cold.  Exposure to cold will cause a histamine reaction similiar to that of any allergen, but cold uticaria results in hives that begin on the face, hands, and neck.  The most common form has a rapid onset of hives on exposure to the cold.  To test for this, put an ice cube on the skin for 1-5minutes.  A "positive" would result in the appearance of a hive on the skin.  Prescription antihistamines are recommended for this, as the OTC types usually don't work.  Ask the doctor about Ketotifen.  Usually kids outgrow this condition in 5-6 years.  In severe cases, when the child is in very cold water, hypovolemic shock can have tragic results.  If the ice test is negative (no hives after ice is on for 5 minutes), you may simply have a "cold rash".  This occurs as a physiologic reaction to the cold.  When cold air/water/etc touches the skin, the blood vessels in the skin constrict, reducing oxygen in the skin.  In reaction to the low oxygen, the body produces a chemical reaction to produce an inflammatory agent into the area.  The inflammation reaction causes bumps similiar to goose bumps to occur and a vasodilation of the blood vessels bring more blood and oxygen into the area.  The skin looks red and bumpy and may feel warm to the touch.  Some people "grow out" of this condition, and others have it throughout life.  The only treatment is to prevent cold from reacting with the skin.  Hope this helps

by KrisMomOf4, Jun 11, 2006 12:00AM
My oldest had this condition when he was young, he rapidly gre out of it and now I have trouble convincing him it's cold enough to wear a jacket in the middle of a snow storm. It is very frightening looking but try not to worry.

by sunflower garden, Jun 13, 2006 12:00AM
To: Krismom
do you remember about what age it went away? Did you ever find out what causes this? Thank you.

by delyro, Jun 16, 2006 12:00AM
you may want to research Raynaud's Phenomenom.  I had a cousin who could not take swim lessons because he would break out in a horrible rash.  My mother in law has it so bad, she doesn't travel in winter.  If she gets cold, it starts with the hands/fingers, cutting off oxygen, they turn a ghastly shade of purple-mauve - but there is no itching. I would definately recommend researching Raynaud's.

by mewal, Jun 29, 2006 12:00AM
I have a allergy to cold that I think is pretty serve and it does not just start on thr face and hands, it is pretty much my whole body. I itch like crazy and my hives start to piggyback on top of each other. In a severe attack I have a hard time breathing and I get very tired. It is very hard because people do not believe me or thery say I am crazy.

by Hives when cold, Jul 15, 2006 12:00AM
Help!  Right now my 14 year old daughter is being tested for everything from Lupus to Connective Tissue Disorders to Mono.  She develops hives when she gets cold.  This can be in a restaurant, our finished basement, the swimming pool (when first opened in the season), running her hands in cold water, etc.  We have been told that it could be raynauds disease--everything I've read doesn't point to that, no white discoloration, she just goes straight into the hives and once warm they go away?????  Any suggestions?

by johnie marie, Jul 17, 2006 12:00AM
Hi everyone!  I stumbbled across this website, because I have cold induced hives.  I am 37 yrs old, and have been suffering from this since Sept. of this year.  They came on out of the blue and have plaqued me daily for 10 months.  I get them from the air condition (house or car) cold water (swimming pool), winter was brutal to say the least, holding something cold, eating icecream, etc. if it's cold I get hives.  My family doctor put me on Doxepin, but it was not helping.  So I went to my daughter's allergy doc, and he increased the Doxepin, and gave me clarinex.  I tried that for a month and it helped alittle, but I was still braking out.  I went back to the allergist and he put me on Cyproheptadine.  He said it was an older antihistamine, that historicly had worked for cold hives.  Well, ta da.....I have been on it for almost 2 weeks, and have had NO HIVES.  So I thought I would pass this along so maybe it would help someone else get some relief.

by GIJou, Jul 28, 2006 12:00AM
Hi! I'm 23 and my first reaction to cold was when i was about 17.. I'd get the hives allover my legs since I had to wear a school uniform skirt and in the winter the cold would be simply unbearable. I had never suffered from this as a kid or anything. My worst experience with this was when I went to some rapids last summer and literally, my entire body was covered in bumps... I was a walking rash! It itches so much and gets me in hysterics. That time at the rapids I had to get into the car and turn on the heat to the highest.. I was crying in despair since it just wouldnt go away! It took around an hour for the bumps to dissapear. After that I've had minor breakouts, usually when I come out of the shower or a pool, or simply in cold weather. Also sometimes when I'm holding a drink with ice, my fingers kinda swell up and lose sensitivity.. really weird. Another thing, I've developed a nut allergy over the last couple of years (itchy and swollen lips), so I'm wondering if this is somehow connected? These things didn't happen to me before!!

by cft, Jul 04, 2007 09:10AM
Hi,

I have a similar problem. I am now 38 year old. I had my first problem back in 2001 and came back winter of 2005 and has since stuch with me. Back in 2001 it was on my fingers, toes and inner tights. Last summer it started on my finger, toes and inner tights. Next time he showed on different parts of my body. My front tights, hands and under my eyes. Last week I brought my son for his first swim class, this time it was on my front tights and next to my virgina. In the past it came and gone within a few hours. However, this time it stayed for a few days, altough the look and the itchness wasn't as bad as day one. I wonder it lasts for days, does it have anything to do with chlorine in the swimmin pool? The itchyness was really bad. My doctor prescribed me anti-depression pill, she said that sould help. It didn't work for me. I am now on Chinese herbs hope that will help.

by DKoop, Aug 12, 2007 07:08AM
To: GIJou
I’m 52 and my problem started in 1999 when I was working in the north east doing a major computer rollout. At first I thought it was something I was eating because I away form home and eating out all the time. My hands