{"id":9853,"date":"2025-06-11T03:15:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T00:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/?p=9853"},"modified":"2026-07-23T11:41:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:41:19","slug":"angioedema-is-an-emergency-condition-that-should-not-be-ignored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/angioedema-is-an-emergency-condition-that-should-not-be-ignored\/","title":{"rendered":"Angioedema: An emergency that should not be ignored"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is angioedema?<\/strong>
Angioedema (ANN), or angioedema, is a sudden, profound swelling of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, mucous membranes, or larynx, usually caused by an allergic or pseudoallergic reaction. This condition is considered an emergency because it can cause life-threatening airway obstruction.<\/p>\n

Developmental mechanisms: how and why edema occurs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Angioedema occurs due to increased vascular wall permeability caused by inflammatory mediators. The main pathogenetic mechanisms are:<\/p>\n

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    Histamine pathway<\/strong> \u2014 a reaction to allergens (foods, medications, insect bites), as a rule, is accompanied by hives.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    Bradykinin pathway<\/strong> \u2014 characteristic of hereditary or acquired forms of ANN, associated with C1-esterase inhibitor deficiency.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    Idiopathic mechanism<\/strong> \u2014 when the cause is not precisely established.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Main symptoms of angioedema<\/strong><\/h3>\n
      \n
    • \n

      Fast growing localized swelling<\/strong> (face, lips, eyelids, tongue, larynx, genitals)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Presence of pain or burning sensation<\/strong>, but usually no itching<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Dyspnea<\/strong>, difficulty swallowing or voice changes (with laryngeal edema)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      In hereditary form - repeated episodes<\/strong>, that occur without an obvious allergen<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"Table<\/p>\n

      The importance of laboratory diagnostics<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Correct diagnosis is critical, as the treatment of histamine and bradykinin ANN is radically different.<\/p>\n

      Table of tests for different types of angioedema<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
      \n
      \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Type of ANN<\/th>\nC1 inhibitor<\/th>\nC4<\/th>\nIgE<\/th>\nFrequency<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
      Allergic<\/td>\nNorm<\/td>\nNorm<\/td>\nIncreased<\/td>\nFrequent<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Hereditary<\/td>\nReduced<\/td>\nReduced<\/td>\nNorm<\/td>\nRare<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Medicated<\/td>\nNorm<\/td>\nCan be reduced<\/td>\nNorm<\/td>\nOccurs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Idiopathic<\/td>\nNorm<\/td>\nNorm<\/td>\nNorm<\/td>\nNot installed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      Emergency care for acute edema<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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      • \n

        Antihistamines<\/strong> (loratadine, cetirizine)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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        Glucocorticosteroids<\/strong> (prednisolone, dexamethasone)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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        Adrenaline (epinephrine)<\/strong> \u2014 at risk of anaphylaxis<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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        Bradykinin inhibitors<\/strong> (icatibant) or plasma<\/strong> \u2014 in the case of hereditary ANN<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Research and clinical recommendations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        In the report World Allergy Organization (WAO)<\/em> (2022) noted that up to 30% cases of ANN are non-allergic in nature. It was also emphasized that hereditary forms are often not diagnosed in time, which creates a risk of fatal airway obstruction. That is why in many countries it is recommended to carry an emergency first aid kit.<\/p>\n

        Angioedema is not just a cosmetic problem. In some cases, it is a life-threatening condition. Early diagnosis, access to emergency treatment, and understanding the different mechanisms of development can save lives.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        What is angioedema? Angioedema (ANN), or angioedema, is a sudden, deep swelling of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, mucous membranes, or<\/p>","protected":false},"author":627,"featured_media":9854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,233],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zahvoryuvannya-ta-symptomy","category-rozshyfrovka-analiziv-ta-pidgotovka"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/627"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}