terminal illness related to cold climate?

Feb 16, 2016 11:48

Setting: a fantasy world, but in a land that would be like near the North Pole if it were Earth. Time-wise, probably equivalent to the 16th or 17th centuries ( Read more... )

~medicine: illnesses to order, ~climate/weather

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Comments 14

phyloxena February 17 2016, 06:07:27 UTC
Consumption, scurvy. Anything (pneumonia, strep throat, kidney failure) exacerbated by depression, if she dies over polar night.

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psa_98 February 17 2016, 06:14:33 UTC

bkwurm1 February 17 2016, 09:35:57 UTC
I had a friend that suffered from a real life allergy to cold. (And she lived in Minnesota, poor thing) Most of the time it just gave her swollen hands, feet, limbs and red itchy welts but in extreme cases it can cause low blood pressure which can be life threatening. There is also a risk of going into anaphylactic shock which can be fatal. My friend carried around an injection pen/syringe just in case. Technical name is Cold urticaria.

Oddly enough, she had no problem with cold food or beverages.

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angelinw8ing13 February 17 2016, 14:45:04 UTC
This! I have have Dermatographic Urticaria aka skin writers. There are several different kinds of classifications in this family (Urticaria which literally means hives) I'm allergic to pressure. But some people are allergic to cold, exercise, sun light, etc. They are all within the same family. While many cases are not as bad it can be like any allergy if exposed to the allergen too long it can cause death.

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lilacsigil February 17 2016, 09:37:05 UTC
Most kinds of lung disease are going to be worse with dry, cold air. Asthma is a good example.

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clocketpatch February 20 2016, 17:46:18 UTC
Maybe Reynauds disease? It's a condition where blood vessels of the extremities (toes, fingers) contract in response to cold so blood flow stops getting through and the affected body parts turn blue, then white. It is painful and annoying, though not generally dangerous. HOWEVER, if your character were severely affected (maybe they have another circulatory disorder on top of it?) or they are somewhere where they can NEVER get warm, it's possible that the lack of blood flow could lead to chillblains -> open sores -> infection -> gangrene -> horrible death.

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