Skip to content
Angioedema News logo Newsletter
Newsletter
  • About angioedema
    What is angioedema?
    Types
    • Acquired angioedema
    • Hereditary angioedema
    • Idiopathic angioedema
    • Acute allergic angioedema
    • Drug-induced nonallergic angioedema
    Causes
    Diagnosis
    Symptoms
    Living with angioedema
    • Diet
  • Treatments
    Approved treatments
    Experimental treatments
  • Featured topics
    Taking action with HAE
    • HAE and advocacy
    • Next steps after an HAE diagnosis
    • Beyond swelling: Other HAE symptoms
    • Treatment and management of HAE attacks
    • Raising a child with HAE
    • HAE triggers and prevention plan
    • HAE and preventive treatment
    • Bracing for a diagnosis
    • HAE and stress
    • Angioedema and skin care
    • View all
    Navigating HAE
    • HAE pool prep
    • HAE journey
    • HAE genetics
    • HAE and factor XII
    • Managing HAE medications
    • HAE and women
    • Traveling with HAE
    • HAE awareness and advocacy
    • Talking to your doctor
    • Self-care tips for caregivers
    • View all
  • News
  • Columns
    Dancing with Rare Disease — Natalie Sirota
    From the Caregiver’s HAErt — Danita LaShelle Jones
    Living Rare, Speaking Loud — Hollie Amadio
  • What can we help you find today?

Timothy Craig: Differentiating between the 3 hereditary angioedema types

More videos

Karen Binkley, MD: Understanding factor XII's role in hereditary angioedema

Natalie Sirota: Lowering anxiety by understanding hereditary angioedema scientifically

Tim Craig

Learning the science behind HAE

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email

Timothy Craig is a doctor of orthopedics and a leading clinical researcher in the field of allergy and immunology. He describes the biochemical differences between the three types of hereditary angioedema.

Transcript

There’s three types of hereditary angioedema. Actually, we’re not supposed to call it type 1, type 2, and type 3. We can call the first two hereditary angioedema type 1. That is the most common by far — probably about 80%, 75%, 85% of cases are of type 1.

Read More

In that, what happens is they don’t make a protein that’s called C1 inhibitor. And that C1 inhibitor, what it does, it shuts down factor XII from being activated. So that whole cascade that leads to bradykinin is shut down.

There’s also a type 2. These people make protein, but what happens is the C1 inhibitor is dysfunctional. It doesn’t work well. So the same thing happens. It doesn’t prevent the activation of factor XII, nor the activation of kallikrein, nor the production of bradykinin, and thus they get recurrent swelling, like you see in the hereditary angioedema.

Now there’s a third type, but we can’t call that type 3 for some reason. It’s instead called hereditary angioedema with normal C1 inhibitor. This is a very difficult disease state. We group it with type 1 and type 2, but some of those people who fall under hereditary angioedema with normal C1 inhibitor really don’t even have activation of the swelling from bradykinin. Some of them do.

But there’s a lot of different genetic abnormalities. I think right now, as of the last month or two, there’s now nine different genetic types. Some of them act just like type 1 and type 2. Some of them, like I mentioned, don’t use bradykinin, and a couple of them even kind of differ in how they present themselves as a disease.

So those three types are slightly different, but right now, until further changes in what we call that group of people with hereditary angioedema with normal C1 inhibitor — until we redefine or classify that, right now, there are three types, and they kind of appear very similar.

Print This Article

More videos

Natalie Sirota
Natalie Sirota: Explaining hereditary angioedema and its triggers
See more videos
Envelope icon

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get regular updates to your inbox.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Bionews, Inc.

3 W Garden St
Suite 700
Pensacola, FL 32502
Website: bionews.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-800-936-1363

  • About Us
  • Leadership
  • Our Culture
  • Editorial Policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Corrections Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Disclaimer

This site is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2013-2025 All rights reserved.