How is angioedema treated?

Angioedema causes swelling in deeper skin layers, often affecting the lips, eyelids, face, hands, feet, or genitals. It can occur with hives, but swelling without hives may have a different mechanism. Triggers include foods, medicines, insect stings, infections, and inherited or acquired changes in a blood protein system. A clinician reviews the timing, exposures, family history, and other symptoms before choosing treatment.

For allergy-related swelling, an oral antihistamine treatment may reduce symptoms, and an oral corticosteroid treatment may be used in selected cases. The suspected trigger should be avoided until reviewed, and a clinician may change a medicine that contributed to the episode. Hereditary or non-histamine forms need a different emergency plan, so repeated episodes deserve specialist assessment. Keep a record of foods, medicines, stings, and timing.

Call emergency services immediately for tongue or throat swelling, hoarse voice, trouble breathing, wheezing, difficulty swallowing, dizziness, faintness, or rapidly worsening facial swelling. Do not wait to see whether the swelling settles. Skin swelling or swollen lips without airway symptoms still needs medical advice when it is severe, recurrent, follows a new medicine, or occurs with vomiting or weakness.

Ask whether your episode fits allergic, medicine-related, hereditary, or another form of angioedema. Clarify which medicine to use, which triggers to avoid, whether you need an emergency action plan, and when family members should be assessed.