British mum of three Kirsten Evans, 41, has spent the past ten months dealing with a rare condition that makes cold weather feel like an enemy. She recently spoke about it on ITV’s This Morning, describing how ordinary winter moments can quickly turn frightening. What sounds like a dramatic phrase, being “allergic to winter,” is her shorthand for a very real diagnosis. For Evans, the cold is not just uncomfortable, it can trigger a full-body reaction.
Her ordeal began in February, after a routine school run. She felt a sudden, intense pain and soon noticed a rash spreading across her body. At first, she chalked it up to stress as she returned to work after maternity leave. But when the rash kept coming back for weeks, showing up on her face, neck, and stomach along with a sensation that she was “burning,” she knew it was more than pressure or tiredness.
A doctor referred her to an allergist, and she was diagnosed with cold urticaria. The Cleveland Clinic describes it as an allergic-type response to low temperatures, where cold exposure prompts the skin to release histamine and other inflammatory chemicals. Triggers can be surprisingly everyday, like walking outside, swimming in cool water, or even eating and drinking something cold. While it can run in families, it can also appear without any family history, and it’s sometimes linked with other health issues.
Evans explained that the most obvious sign is a rash that looks like hives, bumps, or blisters. It can be extremely itchy, red, and swollen, making it hard to ignore and even harder to hide. Beyond the skin, some people experience fatigue, fever, joint pain, and headaches. In more severe cases, symptoms can escalate to heart palpitations, breathing difficulty, or fainting, which is why cold exposure can become genuinely risky.
To keep her symptoms in check, Evans takes four antihistamine tablets every day. Speaking to presenters Dermot O’Leary and Olivia Attwood-Dack, she said the medication only partly helps. She described how longer exposure seems to break through the protection, even when she has taken her full dose. Last week, she said, a rash still appeared by late afternoon.
There are other treatment options, including epinephrine for serious reactions, omalizumab injections, and sometimes antibiotics, depending on the case. Another approach is desensitization, where the body is gradually introduced to colder temperatures in a controlled way. Experts stress that this should only be done with medical guidance, not as a DIY experiment. For people like Evans, managing winter becomes a careful mix of planning, medication, and avoiding situations that could spiral fast.
Have you ever dealt with a surprising weather-related reaction or a condition that changes how you approach winter? Share your thoughts in the comments.
