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Definition:
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Cold intolerance is an abnormal sensitivity to a cold environment or cold temperatures.
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Alternative Names:
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Sensitivity to the cold; Intolerance to cold
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Considerations:
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Cold intolerance can be a symptom of a metabolic problem.
Some people (often very thin women) do not tolerate cold environments because they have very little body fat and are unable to keep warm.
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Home Care:
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Follow the recommended therapy for treating the cause of the problem.
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Call your health care provider if:
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Call your health care provider if you have long-term or extreme intolerance to cold.
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What to expect at your health care provider's office:
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Your health care provider will take a medical history and perform a physical examination.
Medical history questions may include:
- Time pattern
- Have you always been intolerant of cold?
- Has this developed recently?
- Has it been getting worse?
- Do you often feel cold when other people do not complain of the cold?
- Medical history
- What is your diet like?
- How is your general health?
- What are your height and weight?
- What other symptoms do you have?
Tests that may be performed include:
If your health care provider diagnosed cold intolerance, you may want to note that diagnosis in your personal medical record.
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References:
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Kim M, Ladenson P. Thyroid. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 233.
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