News

Children with hereditary angioedema frequently have difficulties recognizing their own emotions (alexithymia), which could be a key source of psychological stress that triggers acute attacks of swelling, an Italian study found. Guidelines recommend that management of these patients should include psychological intervention to ease stress…

Most physicians in Canada say they follow the guidelines for diagnosing and treating hereditary angioedema (HAE), and to have adopted treatments with the C1 esterase inhibitors Berinert, Cinryze, and Haegarda, as well as Firazyr…

Treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) with C1-esterase inhibitors (C1-INH) provides efficient relief of acute attacks across different locations of the body, according to a new study. The research was presented at the 2018 American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)/World Allergy Organization (WAO) Joint Congress, which…

Researchers have developed a new way to distinguish bradykinin-mediated angioedema from histamine-mediated angioedema. This biomarker tool may improve the use of targeted therapies in angioedema patients. The study, “Threshold‐Stimulated Kallikrein Activity Distinguishes Bradykinin‐ From Histamine‐Mediated Angioedema,” was published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy. Angioedema encompasses…

Angioedema patients in need to emergency care — being treated at a hospital’s emergency department — most often had an attack linked to bradykinin and medications that target this inflammatory molecule, a study from Croatia reports. Such medications, called RAAS blockers, can be used to treat cardiovascular and kidney…

Activase (alteplase), a common treatment for stroke, may trigger angioedema of the mouth and tongue that can lead to a life-threatening situation if not treated promptly, a case report shows. The study, “Angioedema: A Life-threatening Complication of Tissue Plasminogen Activator,” was published in the journal…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Shire’s Cinryze (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]) to help prevent angioedema attacks in children 6 and older who live with hereditary angioedema (HAE). Cinryze was first approved in the U.S. in 2008 for routine preventive treatment against attacks in…

A study that examined three forms of angioedema suggests there are different processes contributing to the development of each disease. Researchers found that patients with angioedema of unknown cause have significantly different clinical manifestations compared to patients with hereditary angioedema caused by a genetic deficiency in the C1-inhibitor protein. The…

Researchers reported the first case of exercise-induced angioedema that is dependent on food in a new case study from Israel. The report, “A case of food-dependent exercise-induced angioedema,” appeared in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Angioedema is a swelling of the…

Delays in the diagnosis of hereditary angioedema causes family caregivers to feel fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, according to a study focused on better understanding what these caregivers go through during the diagnosis process. Giving attention and credibility to family caregivers could not only improve understanding and awareness of the disease but…