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Observational Study
. 2014 Oct;178(1):112-7.
doi: 10.1111/cei.12379.

Tranexamic acid as maintenance treatment for non-histaminergic angioedema: analysis of efficacy and safety in 37 patients

C Wintenberger  1 , I Boccon-Gibod, D Launay, O Fain, G Kanny, P Y Jeandel, L Martin, A Gompel, L Bouillet
Affiliations
Observational Study

Tranexamic acid as maintenance treatment for non-histaminergic angioedema: analysis of efficacy and safety in 37 patients

C Wintenberger et al. Clin Exp Immunol. 2014 Oct.

Abstract

Angioedema (AE) is a clinical syndrome characterized by localised swelling lasting several hours. The swelling is often recurring and can be lethal if it is located in the laryngeal region. Much progress has been made recently in the treatment of acute episodes, but no consensus has been reached on maintenance treatment. We have performed a national retrospective observational study to assess the use of tranexamic acid (TA) as maintenance treatment for non-histaminergic AE [hereditary AE (HAE) or idiopathic non-histaminergic AE]. Records for 64 cases were collected from 1 October 2012 to 31 August 2013; 37 of these were included (12 HAE with C1-inhibitor deficiency, six with HAE with normal C1-inhibitor and 19 idiopathic non-histaminergic AE). When treated with TA over six months, the number of attacks was reduced by 75% in 17 patients, 10 patients showed a lower level of reduction and 10 had the same number of attacks. In no instances were symptoms increased. No thromboembolic events were observed, and the main side effects were digestive in nature. Thus, TA, which is well tolerated and inexpensive, appears to be an effective maintenance treatment for some patients with HAE or idiopathic non-histaminergic AE.

Keywords: angioedema; bradykinin; hereditary angioedema; tranexamic acid.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Patient-by-patient breakdown of the number of attacks over the 6 months preceding and the 6 months following the introduction of maintenance treatment based on tranexamic acid. AE = angioedema; HAE = hereditary angioedema; C1 Inh = C1-inhibitor.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Improvements in the number of attacks after initiating treatment with tranexamic acid (comparison between the number of attacks over the 6 months preceding treatment and the number of attacks over the 6 months following initiation of treatment). AE = angioedema; HAE = hereditary angioedema; C1 inh = C1-inhibitor.
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References

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