Did you know that Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) causes sudden swelling not related to allergy? This condition can cause sudden swelling anywhere in the body , including face, hands, gastrointestinal tract and genitals. Although HAE is often inherited, 20-25% of cases are from new spontaneous mutations and these patients have no family history of swelling.
Decreased C1 inhibitor activity leads to inappropriate activation of multiple pathways, including the complement and contact systems and the fibrinolysis and coagulation systems. This leads to formation of bradykinin, a potent trigger for angioedema.
Often misdiagnosed and misunderstood, we now have good treatment options available, but these effective treatments are not available in every country, Malaysia included. As an Allergist/Immunologist, I am working with pharma to see if we can bring these treatments in. My thoughts are that initial treatments needed are those that will work on treating acute attacks. Then with market maturity, with physicians and patients understanding more about the disease, there will be a demand for prophylaxis treatments.
If you have swelling and need to be evaluated, see an Allergist/Immunologist. Another condition that can cause swelling is urticaria/hives. The management of these two conditions are quite different.
