Swelling out of the Blue - Angioedema in the ED
/Angioedema is like urticaria in that both are transient swelling of well-demarcated areas. However, angioedema involves swelling of deeper tissues, producing nonpitting edema of the dermis and subcutaneous layers. It is most often seen in the eyelids and lips, and sometimes in the mouth and throat. While it is not pruritic it may be painful. In the US, angioedema accounts for approximately 100,000 ER visits annually (1). Across the world, 35% of prescriptions written for hypertension are for ACE-inhibitors (>40 million people). With a reported incidence of angioedema in 0.1–0.7% of those patients on ACEI, there are approximately 40,000 cases of ACEI-associated angioedema worldwide annually (2).
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