Snow, cold water or even an open fridge door can be life for the canadian Arianna Kent (21) dangerous. She suffers from Kälteutkaria, a disease that makes her for the past seven years, the life agony.
November to March are the worst months for some people. Cold, dark, snow, ice and the threat of cold, the mood be damaged by hail. But that is nothing against the Aversion, a young canadian since the age of 14. Age against the Winter. You fear even your life.
In cold weather, the body switches to defense, it comes to respiratory complaints
It all started when shovelling snow. In the canadian Edmonton where it can have in the Winter a lot of snow and down to minus 40 degrees Celsius, to grab the children. Arianna suddenly got no more air. To develop In the puberty an Allergy, is not unusual – but in the case of Arianna, the Doctors fell for two years in the dark, while her body reacted so violently.
The today 21-Year-old has a rare auto-immune disease, the Kälteurtkaria. It is also known as cold hives, because the Affected parties have the feeling to have in nettles caught. You cold triggers a defense mechanism of the body, as if he had to fight against an Allergy. The consequence of rashes on the skin. In some cases, even the lips and throat swell and breathing is difficult. Even if the reaction of the body is similar to an Allergy, but only a pseudo-Allergy. Because the antibodies are not formed against an Allergen, but the response to the physical stimulus of the cold. © Arianna Kent luckily There are days where is Arianna Kent warm enough.
Wind, snow, or a cold glass of water cause pain
For Arianna Kent any Form of exposure to the cold is painful. It comes with rain, Wind or snow in contact with it or drink a SIP of cold water, littered her body shortly thereafter by pustules. "If I have a Popsicle to eat, then I feel like my palate and my throat swell. I then get a bad Luft", she said to the BBC.
On particularly cold days, life is a risk, because the cold can trigger an anaphylactic shock. A circulatory shock can result leading to organ failure and fatal circulatory failure, that is why Arianna is always an adrenaline injection. Nevertheless, she ends up every month at least once in the hospital.
- In the case of urticaria it comes to the sudden appearance of itchy wheals on the skin. In the case of the KU after cold stimuli. Not infrequently, deep swelling of the skin occur in addition to hives.
- Urticaria is one of the most common diseases of the skin. It is also addiction under the name of urticaria, wheal addiction or nettle rash, also called as hives, is known. About every fourth person gets in the course of her or his life, a urticaria.
- Cold urticaria is more common in cold countries such as Scandinavia, in warm a little less. Women affected twice as often as males, both sexes usually in young adulthood.
- The average disease duration is about five years. The focus of the annual temporal distribution is in our Latitudes clear in the Winter.
- Those affected should avoid exposure to cold and quick changes in temperature. For protection from the cold dense, warm clothing is recommended, gloves and warm shoes. On exposed areas (face) should fat-containing cream is applied.
- Avoided the jump in cold water should be, because circulatory reactions up to shock symptoms.
- Cold food and drinks must be avoided as it can lead to life-threatening swelling in the throat area.
Source: UNEV
With a layered look and a lot of movement to prevent
"I always wear the Layer Look, so as many layers of Clothing on top of each other. And when I realize that I auskühle, I move to quickly warm to werden", told Arianna. Who does not know, thinks she is a little weird. A little wound up. "The people say then: 'We already know you are going to freeze quickly, but that’s not an Allergy.'"
Would help to move to a warm area? Rather not, because an open refrigerator door raises the the cold Allergy. It is even worse with air conditioning.
For most people the hope is because the cold Allergy disappears just as suddenly as they occurred. This is usually after five years. In the case of Arianna Kent it lasts for seven years.
Reports, Videos, backgrounds: From Monday to Friday, provided you FOCUS Online with the most important messages from the health Department. Here you can subscribe to the Newsletter easily and free of charge.