Cold urticaria

Cold urticaria (essentially meaning cold hives) is a disorder in which large red welts called hives (urticaria) form on the skin after exposure to a cold stimulus. The hives are usually itchy and often the hands and feet will become itchy and swollen as well. Hives vary in size from about 7 mm in diameter to as big as about 27 mm or larger.

This disorder, or perhaps two disorders with the same clinical manifestations, can be inherited (familial cold urticaria) or acquired (primary acquired cold urticaria). The acquired form is most likely to begin between ages 18 and 25, although it can occur as early as 5 years old in some cases. Life-threatening risks include suffocation resulting from swollen tissue (pharyngeal angioedema) induced by cold foods or beverages, drowning after shock from swimming in cold water, and anaphylactic shock.