Angioedema: 5 Years' experience, with a review of the disorder's presentation and treatment

Abstract

Angioedema is a problem that the otolaryngologist—head and neck surgeon is often asked to treat. This report concerns 17 patients admitted for care during a 5‐year period. At their initial presentation, 94% of these patients manifested signs and symptoms of angioedema in the head and neck; three of them required urgent tracheotomy or intubation. As treatment of complement‐mediated angioedema is distinct, an etiology‐specific diagnostic and treatment protocol is presented.Of the patients, 35% had recent initiation of angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor therapy for hypertension, and 6% demonstrated classic hereditary angioedema. However, the majority of them (59%) had unclear etiologies for their symptoms. Since angioedema is the final result of several possible abnormalities, a thorough knowledge of the differential diagnosis and clinical presentation is vital to patient management.