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Analysis of the prevalence of subtypes of angioedema without urticaria in a reference center in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil

Background

Angioedema is a highly heterogeneous group of conditions and is characterized by sudden, pronounced swelling of the lower dermis and subcutaneous. Because of its frequent coexistence with urticaria, it is often classified in the same manner as urticaria. However, it also includes categories not associated with urticaria. Angioedema without urticaria is characterized by hereditary and acquired angioedema and histaminergic and nonhistaminergic angioedema. The prevalence of subtypes of angioedema without urticaria was estimated at the Clinical Immunology outpatient service of an University Hospital, in Rio de Janeiro.

Methods

We have classified 118 (40 males and 78 females) outpatients with angioedema without urticaria in categories: hereditary angioedema (HAE), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor-induced angioedema and idiopathic angioedema.

Results

HAE was showed in 98 of 118 patients (83%). ACE inhibitor induced-angioedema was showed in 16 patients (13,5%) and 4 patients (3,5%) were diagnosed with idiopathic angioedema, after a complete investigation of all causes of angioedema.

Conclusions

In our casuistic, HAE was the most prevalent type of angioedema without urticaria, as described in the literature. However, the prevalence of ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema found in our study was higher, since the reported incidence of this condition ranges from 0,1 to 6%. Correct diagnosis of the subtypes of angioedema without urticaria should be the basis of better understanding and the treatment of these conditions.

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This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

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Fernandes, R.S., Dortas, S.D., Moreira, C.F. et al. Analysis of the prevalence of subtypes of angioedema without urticaria in a reference center in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil. World Allergy Organ J 8 (Suppl 1), A39 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/1939-4551-8-S1-A39

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1939-4551-8-S1-A39