In the United States, a 34-year-old man experienced a life-threatening allergic reaction to cold air after stepping out of a hot shower. What triggered this rare condition?
Unusual medical cases continue to surprise experts. For instance, in 2019, a man suffered severe penile calcification due to advanced Peyronie's disease. Similarly, a case detailed in The Journal of Emergency Medicine on October 27, 2020, by physicians from the University of Colorado School of Medicine describes a 34-year-old man who collapsed after a hot shower. His family found him on the floor, struggling to breathe, with hives covering his skin. The diagnosis: a severe allergic reaction to low temperatures.
The medical team identified anaphylaxis, a potentially deadly allergic response. The patient reported prior episodes of hives from cold exposure, which began after returning from Micronesia (Oceania), a tropical region.
Emergency responders administered epinephrine and oxygen en route to the hospital, where the man arrived sweating heavily and covered in hives. Clinicians confirmed cold urticaria, a skin reaction to cold air or water that typically causes itchy rashes. In severe instances, it can provoke anaphylaxis, leading to plummeting blood pressure and airway constriction.
Diagnosis involved the ice cube test: placing an ice cube on the skin for five minutes. A resulting welt confirms hives. The underlying cause is often unclear but may stem from genetic predisposition, passed down generations, viral infections, or rarely, certain cancers.
