The use of plasma-derived C1 inhibitor in the treatment of hereditary angioedema

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled The use of plasma-derived C1 inhibitor in the treatment of hereditary angioedema (Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2007 Dec;8(18):3173-81). Authors are Cicardi M Zingale LC Zanichelli A et al., from the University of Milan, Department of Internal Medicine, Ospedale L Sacco, Milano, Italy. C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) deficiency is the genetic defect underlying hereditary angioedema (HAE). Subjects with HAE suffer from recurrent angioedema that may result in death when it affects the larynx, severe abdominal pain when it affects the gastrointestinal mucosa and disfiguration when it affects the skin. The use of plasma-derived C1-INH concentrates to revert angioedema in HAE patients started in the 1970s. Since that time, three different preparations arrived onto the market, two of them are still present.Controlled studies and a large clinical experience indicate that C1-INH concentrate should be considered the treatment of choice for disabling angioedema attacks at any site To access the full abstract of the article, click here.