A rare form of hereditary angioedema could be confused with ovarian cancer

Abstract

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by recurrent and circumscribed episodes of subcutaneous and submucosal edema involving different organs. Gastrointestinal involvement usually presents as abdominal pain. The presence of ascites is rare with only few cases reported in the literature. We report a case of HAE with ovarian edema, ascites and elevation of CA-125 which led to an initial suspicion of ovarian neoplasia. It is important for gynaecologists to be aware of HAE, as this disease can present a symptomatology similar to that described in gynaecological diseases and therefore lead to unnecessary invasive procedures and delay proper treatment.