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Book

Angioedema

Ruba J. Memon  1 , Vivekanand Tiwari  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Book

Angioedema

Ruba J. Memon et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Angioedema is defined as " subcutaneous tissues and/or submucosal tissues circumscribed non-pitting edema affecting lips, face, neck, and extremities oral cavity, larynx, and gut." It becomes life-threatening when it involves the larynx, while intestinal angioedema is painful and mimics acute abdomen.

Angioedema was first described in 1882 by Quincke, then by Osler in 1888 (hereditary angioedema), and finally in 1963 by Donaldson et al (the role of C1 inhibitor).

Classification of angioedema

Acquired

  1. Allergic (histaminergic angioedema) associated with anaphylaxis

  2. Non-allergic (non-histaminergic angioedema), presenting isolated or in combination with urticaria

  3. Drug-induced, e.g., angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

  4. Complement-mediated secondary to acquired deficiency of C1-inhibitor

  5. Idiopathic which is subdivided into histaminergic and non-histaminergic

Hereditary forms

  1. C1-Inhibitor deficiency divided into type 1 (lack of C1-inhibitor molecule) and typed 2 (dysfunctional C1-inhibitor molecule) with normal C1 inhibitor.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Ruba Memon declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Vivekanand Tiwari declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Depetri F, Tedeschi A, Cugno M. Angioedema and emergency medicine: From pathophysiology to diagnosis and treatment. Eur J Intern Med. 2019 Jan;59:8-13. - PubMed
    1. Maurer M, Magerl M, Ansotegui I, Aygören-Pürsün E, Betschel S, Bork K, Bowen T, Balle Boysen H, Farkas H, Grumach AS, Hide M, Katelaris C, Lockey R, Longhurst H, Lumry WR, Martinez-Saguer I, Moldovan D, Nast A, Pawankar R, Potter P, Riedl M, Ritchie B, Rosenwasser L, Sánchez-Borges M, Zhi Y, Zuraw B, Craig T. The international WAO/EAACI guideline for the management of hereditary angioedema-The 2017 revision and update. Allergy. 2018 Aug;73(8):1575-1596. - PubMed
    1. Reshef A, Kidon M, Leibovich I. The Story of Angioedema: from Quincke to Bradykinin. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2016 Oct;51(2):121-39. - PubMed
    1. Lin RY, Cannon AG, Teitel AD. Pattern of hospitalizations for angioedema in New York between 1990 and 2003. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2005 Aug;95(2):159-66. - PubMed
    1. Andrejević S, Korošec P, Šilar M, Košnik M, Mijanović R, Bonači-Nikolić B, Rijavec M. Hereditary Angioedema Due to C1 Inhibitor Deficiency in Serbia: Two Novel Mutations and Evidence of Genotype-Phenotype Association. PLoS One. 2015;10(11):e0142174. - PMC - PubMed

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