“You always take the same way home,” my mom said to my father. My dad glanced at my mother, smiled, and kept driving. “Habit,” he replied. We were on our way home from school, and my father was taking our usual route. My mother chuckled. My father was and is…
Discussion
I talk a lot about using my voice. As an advocate living with hereditary angioedema and multiple sclerosis, I believe in speaking up, asking questions, and making sure our experiences as patients are heard. But during a recent five-day hospitalization, I reached a point where I couldn’t. The…
Discussion
A 73-year-old man with influenza A, the major cause of seasonal flu, developed sudden upper-lip swelling about one hour after taking the antiviral Tamiflu (oseltamivir), raising suspicion that the medicine may have triggered angioedema, according to a case report. After Tamiflu was stopped, the swelling gradually improved and resolved…
Discussion
Nearly one in five people with hereditary angioedema (HAE) left their latest swelling attack untreated, most often because it seemed mild or did not limit their activities, an international survey has found. Preventive treatment brought its own challenges, as forgetting doses and difficulty fitting medication into daily routines were…
Angioedema is the formal medical term for swelling under the skin. It usually occurs as part of an allergic reaction, but has forms that are not due to allergies.
Acute angioedema often occurs as part of an allergic reaction to various allergens or triggers. These can include certain foods, insect bites or stings, medications, and natural rubber products like latex.
Angioedema and hives often occur at the same time. However, angioedema causes large, thick welts which may not be itchy, whereas hives are smaller and usually itchy.
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