Cold allergy: symptoms and treatment
It is worth looking at the snow or the bright sun, and your eyes are already watering, running from the nose … It seems that an allergy has come. However, WDay.ru found out that all these signs are not real, but pseudo-allergy, and decided to look into the issue.
It’s all about the foreign protein. It is his entry into the bloodstream that causes an aggravated reaction of the immune system and provokes the onset of a common allergy. But in this case, everything happens differently. Under the influence of cold, the proteins contained in the blood begin to combine into complexes. It is them that the immune system takes for “outsiders” with whom it begins to fight. In the warmth, the complexes disintegrate, and the person recovers before our eyes. Sometimes pseudoallergy develops in other ways. They can react to the cold …
Eyes
Symptoms: it is worth going out into the cold, and the eyes begin to water. This is how pseudoallergic conjunctivitis develops. The cold causes a narrowing of the nasolacrimal canal, and the resulting moisture, instead of going into the nasopharynx, simply overflows over the edge of the eyelid.
How to check: indoors, the symptoms of conjunctivitis gradually disappear.
Treatment: use a soothing eye drop that you can get over the counter without a prescription. Bury them 2-3 hours before leaving the house. You can refuse contact lenses during this time, and wear sunglasses outside, since light is an additional irritant factor.
Watery eyes can be caused by a fungus or a mite (demodex).
Leather
Symptoms: instantly reddening nose, itching and scarlet spots on the skin of the face. With another variant of cold allergy, the legs and calves itch strongly: there are practically no fatty glands on them, so the skin in this area is especially defenseless against the effects of low temperatures.
Treatment: treat the skin before going outside if it’s frosty outside, you can use a fat cream. It is advisable to cover the face with a scarf. Short skirts and thin tights are contraindicated. If the breakout is already on, a vitamin E or cornstarch solution can help relieve the irritation.
In order not to catch a cold in winter, you need to breathe only through the nose, and in the cold, cover your nose and mouth with a scarf.
Nose
Symptoms: when going out into the street, the nose begins to run, a feeling that a severe cold is approaching. In this way, pseudoallergic rhinitis can also show itself. In addition, frost can provoke bronchospasm: when in the cold air it suddenly catches your breath.
How to check: it is worth returning to the warmth, as these symptoms disappear.
Treatment: breathe only through your nose, cover it and your mouth with a scarf. Vasoconstrictor drops cannot be used before going out: they dry the nasal mucosa and only increase the manifestations of allergies. Drops with an antihistamine effect will help.
It’s important… If you take too long to bounce back in a warm room, see a pulmonologist or allergist to be tested for a predisposition to bronchial asthma.
lips
Symptoms: when going out into the cold, he sweeps his lips, and in the corners of the mouth appear … This unpleasant and ugly disease is officially called “meteorological cheilitis”.
How to check: if seizures appear and do not go away, perhaps the whole point is in the lack of B vitamins.
Treatment: before going outside, be sure to use hygienic lipstick and in no case drink cold drinks in the cold.
Uncommon, but there are cases of allergy to fur.
Fingers
Symptoms: in cold weather, blood flow is disturbed in small vessels at the tips of the fingers, and sometimes the legs: they turn white and lose sensitivity (especially the index and ring fingers). This condition is called Raynaud’s syndrome and often manifests itself against a background of stress and severe fatigue.
Treatment: you can almost completely get rid of Raynaud’s syndrome if you regularly arrange contrast baths for your limbs (alternating cold and warm water and gradually increasing the temperature difference). You can also take sedatives (for example, antispasmodics or herbal decoction with a calming effect).
Important. Raynaud’s syndrome can be a symptom of a number of other diseases, in particular, rheumatic problems, therefore, if such attacks recur regularly, you should consult a rheumatologist.
And fur and tears
Rarely, but there are cases of allergy to chemical compounds used in the manufacture and processing of fur clothing, such as formaldehyde or dyes. But usually women of fashion who sneeze into their own collars suffer from an aggravated reaction to wool (not to be confused with an allergy to dog or cat dander).
Sometimes a new fur coat can cause an unexpected reaction …
If you do not tolerate the company of pets, then the likelihood of developing rises. Do not wear a fur coat for several days, if the allergy symptoms disappear, then the whole thing is in the fur.
Duncan test
To determine if you are allergic to cold, do the Duncan Test: Place an ice cube on your wrist and wait 20 minutes. If the skin turns red, begins to itch, or blisters appear on the arm, this is the simplest reaction to cold. If there is nothing like this, you can check the generalized reaction to low temperatures. True, for this you need to spend about 4-20 minutes in a room with a temperature of +30 ° C. If you have an allergy, the symptoms will certainly appear.