angioedema severe symptoms

dove · Newbie Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 28

A friend of mine was diagnosed angioedema and that suppose to be something like allergic reaction, but with more severe symptoms. I would like to get better explanation about this disease. How does it affect people and how is it treated? He had swollen face when I saw him, and that seemed to me like he needed emergent help. Is angioedema life threatened and how dangerous can it be? Thanks in advance.

aguero · Newbie Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Posts: 17

It is very often life threatened disease. I saw my cousin that had lips like sausages and breathed difficulty when had some kind of attack caused by angioedema. It was horrible.
But angioedema also may be acute, that happens once and does not keep reappearing.
Chronic angioedema is an idiopathic disease, which means that causal agent is not known. Some medications and food may cause increased swelling too; even aspirin may cause that reaction. Tranexamic acid and epsilon aminocaproic acid are used in treatment of some symptoms of angioedema. Treatment is in fact similar in many ways to treatment of urticaria.

Guest · Guest

I have had angiodema for about 10 yrs now, when i first got it it was real bad everything on me swelled up at once, now it does it whenever on any part of me, jus not all over at once... should knock on wood, now that i said that i'll swell everywhere at once tomorrow. anyway, back when i first got it and after a month and many doctors when they finally figured out what it was they put me on a steroid (stanizol) or something. and allegra, they helped a little. now i'm 24 have no health insurance and can't afford a doctor or medicine. but i have found if i feel that tingle or itch we get warning us we're bout to swell I start takeing shots of liquor. I don't have to get wasted just enouph to thin out my blood real good Twisted Evil

and it actually has seemed to be working. just can't do it all the time, like if i swell while i'm sleeping... which seems to be what the sneeky b*stard has started doing a lot now that i found this liquor trick. well i would love to actually chat wi any of you so if there is a site we can chat on let me know

Guest · Guest

To guest who posted 04/09/07

I woke up this morning with swollen lips... been the third time this past month, yet it never happened prior to that.

I've been reading some articles about this disease before I came to your post, and from what I've read, alcohol consumption is one of the causes of this disease. When you drink alcohol, it takes several hours for the effects of this disease to kick in (probably because, as you said, it thins out the blood). Once the alcohol wears off, your more susceptible to having an attack.

One study I read stated that a patient was prescribed a certain medicine because of "presumed alcohol liver damage." I'm 31 years old and I drink pretty heavily, so I am assuming this has something to do with my attacks. Plus, I've only gotten attacks after waking up in the morning when I've been drinking alcohol the night before.

Maybe you should look into the connection between alcohol and this disease. When I first got it, I thought I developed an allergic reaction to TIDE (the detergent). I've since changed detergents so apparently that's not the case.

tlturpi · Posted: 07/09/07 - 13:27 Post subject: Chronic Idiopathic Angioedema

I have had sporadic, swelling of my lips, eyes and behind my ears, sometimes my fingertips since January 2001. Typically this swelling seems to happen at night. I have been to MANY allergists, liver doctors, endocrinologists, oncologists, etc. I have been told it is caused by anything from a food allergy to stress to my adrenal glands. The liver specialist told me NO, that angioedema has nothing to do with liver disease or alcohol consumption. Every test I have had has come back negative for any disease. So through a process of elimination I take a low dose of Atarax and Singular every night before I go to bed. IF I do not miss a night I can control the swelling. I also carry (and use) an epipen which will immediately stop the swelling. I am still hoping for the angio to "burn itself out" and just stop as mysteriously as it came, which I have been told can happen. Good Luck!

b2006 · Newbie Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

I am hoping that someone can help me - I have been suffering for over a year now with SEVERE allergic responses that last almost a week and sudden extreme sensitivities to ANY chemical, even products that I've used all of my life, and I'm 32 years old. I noticed, just like one of the "guest" posters above, that laundry detergent suddenly became a HUGE problem and after wearing clothing for a few hours my face and neck would blow up red and swollen and all of the skin would peel off TWICE in the following 6 or 7 days. This is all dead skin, but the tissue underneath is weeping plasma fluid and would bleed and is unbelievably raw, like a skinned knee. It is getting worse and worse and I am now missing work. This started on my neck and jaw line (thought it was only a reaction to shaving cream) and now is over my torso and groin, only these places only have a constant rash, no peeling skin. After being healthy and without problems for all of my life, this is the biggest nightmare that God could have handed me, and I cannot get away from it. Antihistamines do nothing and all of my allergy tests and blood tests show nothing, other than the fact that my fatty acid counts are very low (even though I've taken supplements every day for 6 years prior to now) and my Vitamin A and Vitamin D levels are very low. I eat normally and have always been a strong, healthy athlete. Also, drinking alcohol makes me blow up the next day for almost a week. Does anyone have any insight to this? I am at the end of my rope and my face is burned and scarred. Can anyone help with any suggestions, treatments, etc? Thanks.

angioedema severe symptoms

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