Getting out of a hot shower to a cold bath almost killed an American man, who had developed a severe allergic reaction to low temperatures

Doctors described a rare case of anaphylactic shock in cold allergies: one of their patient, a 34-year-old man, came out of the shower and fainted, and his skin was covered with rashes. The man with rapid breathing was taken to the emergency room, where he was injected with adrenaline and antihistamine, as well as a standard test for cold allergy, which turned out to be positive. The scientists published a description of the case in The Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Most often, an allergy to cold (it can be both hereditary and acquired) manifests itself in the form of hives – rashes and itching on the affected areas of the body: for example, an ice cube is also often used as a test for such an allergy, which is applied to the skin and wait for the possible redness. Also, the reaction to cold can be accompanied by swelling of internal organs and anaphylactic shock – but such cases are less common: for example, at very low temperatures.

Doctors at Denver Medical Center, led by Matthew Zuckerman, described the case of a 34-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency room after he came out Out of the shower: Family members found him fainting on the bathroom floor, unconscious and ith rashes on the whole body.

The man was taken to hospital with rapid breathing, a pulse of 60 beats per minute and a pressure of 84 by 60 millimetres of mercury. Doctors injected the man with adrenaline and antihistamine diphenhydramine (standard for anaphylactic shock) and found no other causes for the condition. A cold allergy test was positive: a red spot appeared on the skin to which the ice cube was applied.

The men’s relatives specified that he had suffered from cold allergies before, but he had never developed anaphylactic shock – only redness.

The authors of the described case clarified that doctors should be more careful about patients with allergies to cold and warn them about all possible triggers – which, among other things, can cause anaphylactic shock.