Hanna Newnham, 27, developed a rare allergy after recovering from Covid-19
A 27-year-old woman developed a rare cold allergy after Covid-19 and had her first anaphylaxis attack after a McDonald’s McFlurry. Hanna Newnham, from Brighton, first noticed symptoms of cold urticaria after recovering from covid in 2020.
The condition causes hives to appear following exposure to cold temperatures, and prevents Hanna from drinking chilled beverages or exercising outdoors during winter.
A study published in the open-access journal Nature Communications in April 2024 provides “comprehensive evidence for the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent incident allergic outcomes”. Following her recovery from Covid-19, Hanna began experiencing increasingly severe symptoms upon exposure to cold, including angioedema (facial swelling) and anaphylaxis, which constricts her throat and makes it difficult for her to breathe.
Despite taking high-dose antihistamines, steroids, and carrying an EpiPen, Hanna’s attacks are becoming more frequent and severe. She is currently awaiting an appointment with an immunologist through the NHS, hoping to be prescribed XOLAIR (omalizumab), a treatment that would cost £6,000 every six weeks.
In the meantime, Hanna, who has maintained sobriety for over 500 days, is determined to continue her fitness regimen. This is despite the fact that her own sweat or the cold air from a treadmill at the gym can trigger an attack.
“Even if my throat closes, I’ll keep working out – no one can stop me,” Hanna told PA Real Life. Hanna’s struggle with addiction started with alcohol during her first year at the University of Cambridge in 2018, where she pursued an Education degree and found support from tutors and welfare staff.
READ MORE: ‘My sexsomnia sees me prowling garden naked – my husband has to take drastic measures’READ MORE: Helen Skelton proves a true pro after a very embarrassing moment on TV’s On The Farm
After earning her degree and relocating to Glasgow in 2022, Hanna, who is gay, threw herself into fitness and outdoor exercise following a tough breakup. Her health took an unexpected turn when, two months post-Covid recovery in April 2020, she developed hives after a cold sea swim.
The first severe allergic reaction, known as anaphylaxis, was triggered by a McDonald’s milkshake and McFlurry in December 2020 – treats she now has to avoid, along with coconut Little Moons, which she misses.
Following the incident at McDonald’s, she experienced symptoms like an itchy throat and coughing, leading to throat closure, but at the time, she didn’t recognise what was happening. Sharing her frustration, she said: “I’m thinking all the time about what I can and can’t eat which is annoying.”
As winter approached, her reactions grew more frequent, driving Hanna to seek a formal diagnosis for cold urticaria in February 2021. She received her diagnosis and a prescription for fexofenadine, an antihistamine.
It was around this time that Hanna began sharing her living space with a new flatmate who used drugs. She said: “I didn’t really use drugs before she moved in, and she used a lot, and it was a very toxic friendship that we had.
“I was doing a lot of coke, mostly, and smoking as much weed as I could get my hands on, and also drinking as much as I could.” After a year, Hanna finally recognised the toxicity of her living situation and made the decision to move back to Brighton to live with her grandmother, swapping her harmful habits for daily exercise.
“I probably jumped from one addiction to the other, but at least it’s a healthy one,” Hanna admitted. Over the past four years, Hanna’s sensitivity to cold has intensified – with chilly air from treadmills, cold water from the fridge, and even her own perspiration triggering attacks.
Hanna can suffer symptoms such as facial swelling or hives daily, especially during winter months, if she doesn’t meticulously manage her core temperature and surroundings. If an attack escalates, her reactions can develop into anaphylaxis – with her throat threatening to close up.
Her antihistamine medication has become less effective, leading to her recently being prescribed steroids and given an EpiPen for severe reactions. The steroids have boosted her appetite, which concerns her, due to her limited ability to exercise.
She has been deemed unfit to work in winter by the agency that previously employed her, after having to use her EpiPen last October while playing with children outdoors at a forest nursery school.
She does not pay rent as she lives with her grandmother, and manages her condition by using a kettle in her room, keeping the heating on, and using a heated blanket. Hanna cannot hike or run outdoors if it is too cold – she learned this the hard way after a recent anaphylaxis attack while hiking to Seven Sisters on a sunny winter’s day in February.
Recalling the incident, she said: “I got on the bus back, and I thought I could make it home, but I started feeling really faint and my whole face was so swollen.” In a quick-thinking move, she disembarked at the hospital and administered her EpiPen herself as she walked in.
After each use of an EpiPen, Hanna has to be monitored by hospital staff for eight hours, so she tries to avoid this as much as possible. She maintains weekly contact with her GP and was recently prescribed asthma medication to see if it improves her breathing.
Expressing her frustration, she admitted: “I feel like they’re just throwing different meds at me because they’re not 100% sure what to do,” Despite the challenges, Hanna is determined to live as normally as possible. She’s adapted her exercise routine to include more at-home workouts like yoga, gymnastics and even Just Dance on an old Wii Fit.
Speaking about her energetic nature, she said: “I’ve got so much energy, that’s why I work with kids. I’m always running about, and now I have nothing to put that energy into.”
As she awaits a specialist consultation, Hanna is pinning her hopes on the arrival of warmer weather. Her ultimate goal is to be prescribed XOLAIR on the NHS, an injectable prescription medication used to treat chronic spontaneous urticaria.
