Hereditary angioedema: a case study

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled hereditary angioedema: a case study (J Neurosci Nurs. 2007 Oct;39(5):311-5). Author is Vacca VM Jr. from the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an autosomal dominant trait. It manifests as attacks of swelling involving the extremities, trunk, abdominal viscera, face, neck, or airway. The attacks may occur spontaneously, without any identifiable trigger, or may be the result of a specific trigger, such as a minor tissue trauma.Treatment for an acute attack is largely supportive, including administration of epinephrine and antihistamines to maintain a patent, reliable airway. Shortterm prophylaxis includes fresh frozen plasma and corticosteroids. Long-term prophylaxis includes use of androgens and antifibrinolytics, as well as the avoidance of known triggers. Prior to the advent of such therapies, mortality from an acute attack of HAE was reported as high as 30%. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.