Cold urticaria and HIV infection

Three patients, all seropositive for HIV antibody, complained of swelling and pruritus on the head and limbs when exposed to the cold. All three had received zidovudine for significant CD4 cell depletion, but had no AIDS-defining illnesses. An ice-cube test was positive on each individual. There was no evidence of cold agglutinins. cryoglobulins, syphilis, or other concurrent diseases in any of the patients. This association may represent yet another allergic manifestation in HIV infection.