Sad Aidan Smith stares out from his balaclava as he battles his allergy of anything cold. Aidan, seven, is constantly at risk of going into anaphylactic shock. And he breaks out in hives if he is touched by anything that is colder than his body temperature. So he never goes out without a hat, scarf, balaclava and gloves. Aidan can't go on holiday or eat cold food. And only very rarely is he able to play outside. He is one of just six people in the UK with the condition known as cold urticaria. He even has problems in warm weather because sweat, designed to cool people down, is colder than his body. Aidan said: “I can't play outside with friends and it makes me sad. “When it's cold my mum won't let me out and that makes me upset. “When I play with my friends I run around a bit and get a bit hot then I take my hat off but that means I come out in spots.” Aidan loves swimming but his family can't find a public pool with water hotter than 17C. He said: “It would make me feel better if I was able to swim.” Aidan was diagnosed four years ago when mum Melissa noticed he suffered an allergic reaction from a light breeze. She now carries an EpiPen in case he needs an injection of adrenaline to treat the onset of anaphylactic shock. Melissa, 32, said: “He can't live a normal life. It really upsets me but there's nothing we can do.”
