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While many of us may spend hours at a time outside during the holidays, one Utah woman can't be out in the cold because of a bizarre medical condition. Now she's helping researchers find a treatment for the allergy.
Jaylyn Rogers' reaction to cold is severe. While she puts on socks, gloves, a hat, and wraps her face in a scarf, trips outside are mostly short-lived.
"I can't be out too long because, even with jeans on, if air goes through, I still get it," Rogers explained.
What she gets is a severe skin reaction. It's actually hives. For some people with the condition, the hives can cover large parts of the body.
"It burns. I feel like it's heating up. And I'll touch my skin, and it's cold," Rogers explained. "I have felt lightheaded or dizzy, like I need to sit down."
Rogers has what is called Cold Urticaria. In rare cases, some people have an inherited version called Familial Cold Autoinflammatory Syndrome. In either case, it's real and sometimes life-threatening -- even in warm weather.
"They jump into a swimming pool. They have a massive reaction, such as getting hives all over. The blood pressure drops, and if they're not treated quickly and adequately, they can die from this," said Dr. Gerald Gleich, with dermatology research at the University of Utah.
Rogers is about to join an experiment at the University of Utah. Gleich will administer a drug normally used to treat asthmatics to see if it depletes an antibody triggering the skin sensitivity.
How reactive is Rogers? An ice cube strapped to her arm for five minutes causes the skin to swell just in that one spot. While living in Southern Utah, her skin would break out in larger areas when she walked into an air-conditioned store or restaurant.
"Even if I was working out and I got sweaty, and then the cold air, or wind of any kind, or running can cause it," Rogers said.
"Some patients are so sensitive that walking in the ocean, for example, would stimulate enough histamine release that the person would be on the verge of collapsing," Gleich said. "The incentive to the study is the possibility of actually doing something about this."
If this experiment proves out and the drug works, Rogers just might be able to stay at her home in Alpine cold allergy-free.
For more information on the clinical trial, contact the University of Utah at (801) 213-2264.
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