Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSelf-Checks/At-Home TestingLabs and TestsImagingDifferential DiagnosisFrequently Asked QuestionsNext in Angioedema GuideHow Angioedema Is Treated
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Self-Checks/At-Home Testing
Labs and Tests
Imaging
Differential Diagnosis
Frequently Asked Questions
Next in Angioedema Guide
© Verywell, 2018
You can check yourself or your child for angioedema. Usually, the signs you would check for are clearly visible on the surface of the skin, so you do not have to search for them.
Signs You Can Check For:Swollen lipsSwollen eyesSwelling of the arms or legsSwelling of your tongue or the back of your throatUnexpected swelling in any part of the bodyDiscoloration: The swelling of angioedema is seen on the surface of the skin and appears puffy. Often, there is a red or pinkish coloring or a rash as well.Blanching: The reddish discoloration that occurs with angioedema blanches.Blanching describes the tendency of the affected skin to become pale for a few seconds when you press on it and then to return to its pink or reddish color.
Signs You Can Check For:
Swollen lipsSwollen eyesSwelling of the arms or legsSwelling of your tongue or the back of your throatUnexpected swelling in any part of the bodyDiscoloration: The swelling of angioedema is seen on the surface of the skin and appears puffy. Often, there is a red or pinkish coloring or a rash as well.Blanching: The reddish discoloration that occurs with angioedema blanches.Blanching describes the tendency of the affected skin to become pale for a few seconds when you press on it and then to return to its pink or reddish color.
Another way to check if you or your child has angioedema is to look at the list of ingredients of prepared food that you have consumed, in case it contains something you or a close family member has been allergic to in the past.
There are two main types of angioedema:
While the symptoms are similar, the diagnostic tests that confirm each type are different.
Histaminergic Angioedema
Generally, histamine-mediated angioedema is a diagnosis based on your healthcare provider’s evaluation of your symptoms, your physical examination, and identification of an allergen. An allergen is a substance that triggers a strong immune reaction. Histaminergic angioedema is also often spontaneous, meaning that there is no external trigger for the episode of angioedema.
Commonly used tests in the evaluation of angioedema include:
Sometimes, there is no allergen identified and angioedema may be a diagnosis of exclusion after other causes of the symptoms have been ruled out.
Non-Histaminergic Angioedema
A blood and/or genetic test can help identify non-histaminergic angioedema. However, it is more common to have the blood test.
Non-histaminergic angioedema can be inherited directly from parents with an autosomal dominant pattern, which means that if a person has the gene for this condition, symptoms of the disease will develop. Because it is autosomal dominant, whichever parent you inherit the gene for angioedema type l, ll or lll also should have symptoms of the condition because it is a dominant trait. Non-histaminergic angioedema is not a common, affecting only about 1 in 50,000 people.
Imaging is not normally helpful in diagnosing angioedema. In some situations, particularly when there is shortness of breath or when gastrointestinal problems such as stomach discomfort, nausea, and diarrhea are problematic, diagnostic imaging tests to rule out other illnesses may be needed.
There are a few other conditions that may produce symptoms similar to those of angioedema.
Acute Contact Dermatitis
A condition that is very similar to angioedema, contact dermatitis results from contact with a substance that produces a hypersensitivity.The conditions are similarand it may be hard to tell the difference. Acute contact dermatitis of the face is often misdiagnosed as angioedema, as it can cause severe swelling of the facial skin, especially after contact with hair dye.
Infection or Injury
Edema is swelling of any part of the body. It can occur in response to an injury or an infection, in which case it can occur quickly and abruptly, similar to the edema of angioedema.
Like angioedema, edema due to injury or infection may also involve only an isolated region of the body. There are subtle differences between the edema, however, including a possible fever and more severe pain if the cause is an injury or infection.
Heart or Kidney Failure
The edema of heart failure orkidney failureis usually gradual. Most of the time, edema is not the first symptom of these conditions.
A few important differences are that edema of heart failure or kidney failure is usually symmetric, which does not have to be the case in angioedema. The edema of angioedema is not pitting, while edema of heart failure or kidney failure is pitting edema.
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
Lymphedema
Angioedema is the abrupt swelling of the deep tissues of the lips, face, arms, legs, neck, mouth, throat, genitals, or gut. Unlikehives (urticaria), which affect the outermost layers of skin, angioedema affects underlyingsubcutaneousor submucosal tissues. As a result, the area of swelling tends to be larger.
Angioedema causes large welts with generally ill-defined borders that develop over the course of minutes to hours. The eyes, lips, and cheeks are most commonly affected. There may be skin warmth and pain, although the swelling itself is not itchy. With that said, angioedema often occurs along with hives, which are invariably itchy (and sometimes intensely so).
Intestinal angioedema is a rare subtype that affects the submucosal tissues of the bowel wall. It can occur with both histaminergic and non-histaminergic angioedema, causing abdominal pain, cramps, and swelling as well as nausea and vomiting.
Allergic angioedema usually occurs within 60 minutes of exposure to anallergenand lasts for one to two days. Hereditary forms of angioedema can occur spontaneously and often takes two to three days to resolve.
Angioedema is generally more aggravating than harmful but may cause suffocation if the swelling of the throat is severe.Angioedema can also occur as a feature of a potentially life-threatening allergy known asanaphylaxis. Both situations are considered medical emergencies requiring emergency treatment.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Tarbox JA, Bansal A, Peiris AN.Angioedema.JAMA. 319(19):2054. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.4860
Farkas H, Balla Z, Riedl MA.Differentiating histaminergic and nonhistaminergic angioedema with or without urticaria.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2022;150(6):1405-1409. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2022.10.016
Memon R, Tiwari V.Angioedema. In:StatPearls [Internet].
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Cleveland Clinic.Hereditary Angioedema.
National Cancer Institute.General Information About Lymphedema.
Honda D, Ohsawa I, Shimizu Y, et al.Suffocation due to acute airway edema in a patient with hereditary angioedema highlighted the need for urgent improvements in treatment availability in Japan.Intern Med. 57(21):3193-3197. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.9262-17
Bernstein JA, Cremonesi P, Hoffmann TK, Hollingsworth J.Angioedema in the emergency department: a practical guide to differential diagnosis and management.Int J Emerg Med. 10(1):15. doi:10.1186/s12245-017-0141-z
Bova M, De Feo G, Parente R, et al.Hereditary and Acquired Angioedema: Heterogeneity of Pathogenesis and Clinical Phenotypes.Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 175(3):126-135. doi: 10.1159/000486312.Kuperstock JE, Pritchard N, Horný M, Xiao CC, Brook CD, Platt M,Inhalant allergen sensitization is an independent risk factor for the development of angioedema.Am J Otolaryngol. 39(2):111-115. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2017.12.013.
Bova M, De Feo G, Parente R, et al.Hereditary and Acquired Angioedema: Heterogeneity of Pathogenesis and Clinical Phenotypes.Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 175(3):126-135. doi: 10.1159/000486312.
Kuperstock JE, Pritchard N, Horný M, Xiao CC, Brook CD, Platt M,Inhalant allergen sensitization is an independent risk factor for the development of angioedema.Am J Otolaryngol. 39(2):111-115. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2017.12.013.
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