Winter got you down? You might be allergic to the cold (really)

FOX 2 - Do your joints feel a little stiff? Is your skin dry?  The cold weather is to blame for many issues, but for certain people this kind of weather triggers a full-on allergic reaction.

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Many of us find the cold temps to be a bit frustrating, but about 5 percent of the population actually is allergic to cold weather.

"There are definitely individuals out there that can get something called cold induced urticaria," said Dr. Sandra Hong, Cleveland Clinic. "And this is a situation where patients are exposed to lower temperatures, and they can actually break out into hives or they could actually develop swelling at all of those sites that are cold for them."

Hong says a person can develop this rare condition at any age. And when it comes to cold weather, there isn’t a certain temperature that triggers it.

You could notice the symptoms while walking outside on a chilly winter day or when you step inside a cooler at a convenience store.

Doctor Hong says touching a cold surface or exposing yourself to frigid water can bring on hives  as well. If that happens you might need to take action.

"I absolutely would have them seek guidance from an allergist for multiple different reasons," she said. "One,
because we want to make sure that it's the true diagnosis. Two, there are medications that can help with this, and we can keep you super comfortable. And, three, there are other diseases that can masquerade like cold induced urticaria, and we would want to make sure that those aren't causing any of these symptoms."

There is another cold weather condition called Raynaud's - the blood vessels in fingers or toes narrow and blood flow slows leading to whitish coloring and numbness.

Usually this doesn't require medical treatment.