Can having a virus or cold make cholinergic urticaria worse?
I am a 20-year-old male that has been suffering with cholinergic urticaria for 2 years now. I have been a runner all my life. I am currently in college on scholarship running cross-country. Every time I go to practice, step on the line, or even go to take a stressful exam, I break out in those itchy painful burning hives we all know. They are painful and itch unbearably at the same time.
It’s hard having this and still knowing I have to deal with it if I want to stay in school.
This past summer I went to the beach and stayed a week. After the week was up, I noticed that my cholinergic urticaria did not bother me anymore, or was A LOT less painful and the symptoms did not show as bad. I even completely stopped my antihistamine dosage. It stayed gone for about three months, and let me tell you, those three months were amazing. Now I have some type of cold/virus that has me sick and with a fever and now my CU is back and with a vengeance. It hurts worse than ever.
I just had to take a cold shower at 12am because just laying in my bed, I broke out. I hope this goes away like the article said in average of 7 years. I do not know how much more of this I can take.
Have any of you experienced heightened symptoms while sick or running a fever?
Thanks,
Abram
This post was submitted by a reader.
Hivesguy says
Abram,
Yes, when I would get a cold or illness, my cholinergic urticaria symptoms would increase dramatically, especially if a fever was involved. I remember one time when I had a bad cold with a fever, and my hives were killing me even sitting in bed. I think it may have something to do with the hypothalamus’ response to the fever, or perhaps the increase immune system response in fighting off the infection.
My hives normally would return back to their normal level of intensity once the cold/illness ended.
Anonymous says
thank you very much!
Carlos says
I currently caught a virus/cold and my CU is flaring up big time. The hives are bigger, come out faster and are so burning hot and painful. I just broke out in hives while talking to my friend who just lost her brother, so maybe I was stressed, or on the spot. Here’s a picture of the hives. good luck to us all in fighting this, keep it up.
I don’t know how to post a picture,,, these hives are crazy!