[Hypovolemic shock associated with generalized edema: paroxysmal non-hereditary angioedema (Clarkson syndrome)]

Angioedema with normal laboratory values: the next step

When faced with a patient with recurrent swelling, a thorough laboratory evaluation to determine the underlying etiology ensues. When the laboratory work-up is unrevealing, health care practitioners are frequently left in a quandary. This review will attempt to provide up-to-date information on how to approach the diagnosis and management of angioedema in a patient with normal laboratory values. The subtypes that will be reviewed in detail include: hereditary angioedema with normal C1 inhibitor (HAE with normal C1INH), drug-induced angioedema, and idiopathic angioedema. We present literature to aid the physician in the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.

Cytokine-associated angioedema syndromes including episodic angioedema with eosinophilia (Gleich's Syndrome)

Angioedema can be associated with many disorders and the presentation can be variable. Subsets of the angioedema syndromes are thought to be cytokine mediated (Table 1). Of these, the best described are the episodic angioedema with eosinophilia syndrome (Gleich's syndrome) and non-episodic angioedema with eosinophilia, which share some common features, but appear to have differences in pathophysiology. NERDS (nodules, eosinophilia, rheumatism, dermatitis and swelling), Clarkson syndrome (idiopathic capillary leak syndrome), and angioedema associated with aldesleukin (human recombinant IL-2) and IFN-alpha have also been reported in the literature, and have been discussed in this review. There is still much to be learned about the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with these disorders. Our hope is that this review will be of help to those readers who care for patients with these disorders, and will stimulate interest in further research into the pathophysiology of these conditions.