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Abstract: Cold urticaria has many causes and may be related to genetics, personal constitution, and other factors, and is a chronic disease that can be cured with medication. This patient came to the clinic with symptoms such as bumps and itching on the skin after exposure to cold, and reported that previous treatment with herbs as well as anti-allergy medications was not significant. After treating the patient with the correct medication, the patient’s condition was controlled and her symptoms basically disappeared at the end of 2 months.
[Basic information] Female, 40 years old
Type of disease】Cold urticaria
Hospital】Wuhan University Central South Hospital
Date of consultation】December 2021
Treatment Plan】Medication (Furfuryl Glycolate, Loratadine Tablets)
Treatment Period】2 months or so
Effectiveness】The condition was controlled and the symptoms basically disappeared.
I. Initial consultation
The patient is a 40-year-old aunt. When we first saw the patient, we could observe that the patient had bumps on the exposed skin area and reported that they were accompanied by itching, often attacked or aggravated in cold weather seasons, such as autumn and winter, especially in the morning, and used traditional Chinese medicine and anti-allergy drugs, but the effect was not obvious. She visited the hospital because she was worried about her image when she was out and about. Based on the characteristics of the patient’s skin lesions and their performance, the patient was initially judged to have cold urticaria, which is relatively mild, but often recurs when exposed to cold and persists.
II. Treatment process
We first gave the patient an ice patch test, which means that erythema will appear when ice is applied to the patient’s skin, and the erythema will disappear when the skin warms up, and combined with the patient’s clinical manifestations, i.e., the symptoms of wind mass after the skin is cold, we can diagnose cold urticaria. The patient himself had chronic disease of hypertension, but was well controlled with antihypertensive drugs, and his diet, sleep, stool and water intake were basically normal, and he had no parts prone to allergy. The patient was then given a furnace glycolic lotion to cleanse the skin and was treated with oral antihistamine loratadine tablets. In daily life, it is necessary to pay attention to keep warm to avoid getting cold.
III. Treatment effect
The patient came to the follow-up clinic at 2 weeks of medication and complained of no uncomfortable symptoms, and the condition of cold urticaria was relatively stable when the temperature dropped. After about 2 months of medication, the symptoms improved significantly, and the rash almost stopped when the weather was cold, and there were no obvious side effects, so the patient was discontinued. The patient was instructed to observe his condition carefully in daily life and to come back to the clinic in case of recurrence or aggravation.
IV. Notes
We are glad that after a series of treatments, the patient’s cold urticaria condition has improved significantly. However, since the patient has not been completely cured, the following points still need to be noted in daily life.
1, cold urticaria may be related to the patient’s relatively sensitive body, it is recommended to avoid cold in daily life, to avoid lower ambient temperatures or eating cooler food, etc., and to pay attention to the party to prevent cold and keep warm when going out.
2, patients need to pay attention to appropriate physical activities in daily life, such as running, yoga, etc., to enhance the body’s ability to resist disease.
3, patients need to ensure sufficient sleep, avoid staying up late, and keep a relaxed mood, avoid excessive anxiety.
V. Personal insight
Cold urticaria is a relatively common skin disease, a type of urticaria, cold is one of the more important factors in the occurrence of the disease, usually given regular and correct treatment, relatively easy to cure. In this case, although the patient was treated with Chinese herbs or anti-allergy drugs, the disease improved after treatment, but was not completely cured. Therefore, patients still need to pay more attention to their condition and should come to the clinic promptly if there is a recurrence. Although cold urticaria is not a serious condition, it can cause some harm when it recurs and does not heal. It is recommended that patients do not forget to protect themselves from the cold and keep warm when applying medication.