I have cold urticaria and it brings me out in hives

Cold urticaria is an allergy where hives form on the skin after exposure to cold air. Basically it’s an allergy to the cold, and yes, it is a real thing.

It affects only about 1 in 1,000 people, but the effects can be deadly: opening the front door on a particularly cold day could potentially trigger a severe allergic reaction – even ice cream has its risks. I guess you could say it’s pretty serious. Jordan Smith, a second year Physicist who has the condition, explains how it impacts his daily life.

“To be honest, it’s shit. For one thing, I was never allowed to have snowball fights with my friends when I was younger because it was too cold – my parents had reservations about letting me outside. I’ve also never experienced skiing, for the same reason, which is annoying, because I’d really love to give it a go some day but I’m just not sure if it’s worth the risk.

“It didn’t even get me out of PE, so I had to spend at least two hours a week in absolute agony. Actually playing the sport itself is fine, it didn’t hinder my ability, but catching balls and stuff was painful. I used to just get battered.”

All this just to pop to the shops

They’re normally so much worse than this

Jordan added: “Even little things, like holding cold drinks, can set my hands off. Also, the other week I couldn’t go into uni for half the week because it had gotten that cold; my hands were so swollen and sore I couldn’t even hold a pen, let alone write with it and take notes. I can’t play the piano when it gets bad, can’t use an Xbox controller – I pretty much can’t do any of my favourite things. Basically, imagine trying to do everyday things without being able to bend your fingers; it’s like have Lego mini-figure hands.

The white markings are the hives in their beginning stage

For a condition that could be fateful, there is remarkably little research being carried out in order to develop a cure, or medication to stop the pain. When we asked Jordan what he thought of this, he simply said: “You just have to grin and bear it –  that’s the most frustrating thing. Most doctors don’t even know it’s a real thing because it’s so rare, so they’re not even looking; they’re just not bothered.”