Management of angioedema without urticaria in the emergency department

Could it be hereditary angioedema?-Perspectives from different medical specialties

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare autosomal dominant disease, with patients often suffering with associated symptoms for many years before receiving a correct diagnosis. The symptoms greatly impact a patient's quality of life (QoL) and include excruciating abdominal pain and angioedema of the skin and submucosa. Angioedema of the larynx represents a significant mortality risk in undiagnosed patients, and a large proportion of patients with HAE receive incorrect diagnoses and undergo unnecessary surgery. HAE-specific treatments can control and prevent acute life-threatening episodes, in addition to improving QoL, emphasizing the value of early diagnosis for patients. Diagnostic delay may be due to a lack of HAE awareness by healthcare professionals and the similarity of HAE symptoms with those of more common conditions, complicating differential diagnosis. The multifaceted nature of the condition may result in visits to one of many different medical settings, for example: the Emergency Room, pediatrics, general practice, otolaryngology, gastroenterology, and dermatology. Therefore, it is crucial that physicians in multiple healthcare specialties are aware of the disease to ensure that patients with HAE receive a timely diagnosis. Using patient cases from various medical specialties, this review highlights the necessity for cross-specialty awareness of HAE and outlines the essential information for the various healthcare professionals that may encounter a patient with HAE symptoms, in order to effectively treat and/or diagnose HAE.

Classification and Treatment of Angioedema without Wheals: A Spanish Delphi Consensus

INTRODUCTION

Problems in the definition and classification of angioedema, leading to difficulties in its diagnosis and treatment, have been identified; therefore, an improvement in the current classification of angioedema is required.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to propose a practical classification of angioedema without wheals that helps to establish a differential diagnosis and take appropriate therapeutic decisions.

METHODS

An initial proposal of classification of angioedema without wheals was agreed by a scientific committee of experts and was subsequently validated by a panel of experts by means of consensus based on the Delphi methodology. Forty-five items on the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of angioedema without wheals were proposed for the survey.

RESULTS

Most items (93.8%) were agreed after two rounds. All panelists agreed with the proposed classification, as well as with most of the clinical and treatment characteristics. The angioedema without wheals classification established three groups: histamine-mediated, bradykinin-mediated, and unknown mechanism angioedema. The clinical characteristics of the proposed types of angioedema were also agreed, except for the allergic histamine-mediated and unknown mechanism angioedema, which generated debate. Regarding treatments, although there was broad agreement with the proposed items, a lack of knowledge about some treatments in this pathology was observed.

CONCLUSION

The proposed classification of angioedema without wheals was accepted with a high degree of agreement; however, knowledge of available treatments needs to be increased and the definition of angioedema of unknown mechanism needs to be improved.

Angioedema associated with dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors

BACKGROUND

Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors, also known as gliptins, are a class of oral antidiabetic agents. Postmarketing reports have documented the occurrence of angioedema in patients treated with gliptins and it was found that these drugs increased the risk of angioedema in patients concurrently treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs). The aim of this manuscript is to provide an overview of the risk of angioedema associated with gliptins.

METHODS

The keywords used for the literature search in the PubMed database included "angioedema" and "dipeptidyl peptidase", "gliptins", or the name of each DPP-IV inhibitor. Articles in English published up to December 2020 were taken into consideration.

RESULTS

The available data appear to rule out a higher risk of angioedema associated with gliptin monotherapy and have revealed an increased susceptibility in patients simultaneously treated with gliptins and ACEIs. However, one single multicenter phase IV trial and case reports, even if very limited in number, have shown that angioedema can also occur during treatment with DPP-IV inhibitors without the concomitant use of ACEIs. The involvement of other drugs and drug interactions has occasionally been suggested. In a few patients, deficiency of enzymes involved in bradykinin catabolism was detected and this finding can constitute a risk factor for angioedema exacerbated by treatment with DPP-IV inhibitors.

CONCLUSIONS

This risk of angioedema associated with the use of gliptins has mostly been related to the concurrent administration of ACEIs, and has been considered rare, but it might be underestimated and underreported. The role of additional risk factors or drug interactions deserves further investigations. Caution should be taken when considering the use of DPP-IV inhibitors in patients treated with ACEIs or presenting with other known risk factors for angioedema.

Hereditary angioedema: how to approach it at the emergency department?

Angioedema attacks are common causes of emergency care, and due to the potential for severity, it is important that professionals who work in these services know their causes and management. The mechanisms involved in angioedema without urticaria may be histamine- or bradykinin-mediated. The most common causes of histamine-mediated angioedema are foods, medications, insect sting and idiopathic. When the mediator is bradykinin, the triggers are angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and factors related to acquired angioedema with deficiency of C1-inhibitor or hereditary angioedema, which are less common, but very important because of the possibility of fatal outcome. Hereditary angioedema is a rare disease characterized by attacks of edema that affect the subcutaneous tissue and mucous membranes of various organs, manifesting mainly by angioedema and abdominal pain. This type of angioedema does not respond to the usual treatment with epinephrine, antihistamines and corticosteroids. Thus, if not identified and treated appropriately, these patients have an estimated risk of mortality from laryngeal edema of 25% to 40%. Hereditary angioedema treatment has changed dramatically in recent years with the development of new and efficient drugs for attack management: plasma-derived C1 inhibitor, recombinant human C1-inhibitor, bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist (icatibant), and the kallikrein inhibitor (ecallantide). In Brazil, plasma-derived C1 inhibitor and icatibant have already been approved for use. Proper management of these patients in the emergency department avoids unnecessary surgery and, especially, fatal outcomes.

Etiological and predictive factors of pediatric urticaria in an emergency context

Background

Urticaria is common in pediatric population and is caused by various etiologies which usually differ among different age groups. The different etiologies require different management strategies. Thus, understanding detailed of the etiologies of urticaria in children would help pediatricians to perform appropriate initial treatment.

Methods

A cross-sectional epidemiological study of all patients aged under 18-year-old with the diagnosis of urticaria from any causes entered in the emergency department during January 1st, 2016 to December 31st, 2019 by collecting the data from the Health Object Program®, an authorized electronic medical records program, at the Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

Results

There were total of 515 urticaria patients aged under 18 years old at the emergency department. The ages of patients ranged from 8 months to 18 years with a median age of 7 years (IQR 3.17–12.08). The majority of the patients were in the preschool-aged group (40.97%), followed by the school-aged (28.16%), adolescent (22.14%), and infant (8.74%). Six major etiologic categories were identified in the present study. The most common cause of urticaria was infection (51.26%), followed by idiopathic urticaria (34.37%), inhalants (6.99%), drugs (4.08%), foods (2.52%), and insect stings (0.78%).

Conclusions

Having underlying allergic diseases had a strong association with all identified causes of urticaria in the study population, of which, food and inhalation etiologies had a significant difference when compared to the other identified causes. The present study has found that infection was the most common cause of acute urticaria in children. This etiology (infection-induced urticaria) usually presents concurrent with fever, however, non-febrile symptoms were also presented. Therefore, in the pediatric population, pediatricians should always look for infection as the cause of urticaria even in patients without pyrexia.

Diagnosis and treatment of upper airway oedema caused by acute angio-oedema in the emergency department: a French consensus statement

Angio-oedema is a transitory, localized, noninflammatory oedema of subcutaneous tissue or mucous. When the oedema affects the mouth, lips, tongue or larynx, it can result in fatal asphyxiation in the absence of specific treatment. Oedema secondary to plasma extravasation is usually mediated by either histamine or bradykinin. As laboratory tests are not available in an emergency setting, the implicated mediator cannot be readily determined. The challenge for the emergency physician is to determine the aetiological type, evaluate severity and initiate adapted treatment by means of a structured approach. A team of experts from the French Reference Centre for Angio-oedema reached a consensus for recommendations for the diagnostic and therapeutic strategy to be adopted by emergency departments faced with angio-oedema of the upper airways in adults. The experts defined 11 important questions. Responses were rated using a two-round Delphi methodology. The 11 recommendations were related to triage on admission, a step-by-step diagnostic protocol, definition of attack severity, discouragement of instrumental examination, prioritization of treatment for severe attacks according to clinical signs and anticipation of access to specific treatments by the hospital. Angio-oedema of the upper airways can be fatal and requires anticipation by the emergency department. A search for the aetiology, an evaluation of clinical symptoms and the availability of the treatments are challenges justifying these recommendations.

Off-Label Use of Agents for Management of Serious or Life-threatening Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor–Induced Angioedema

Objective: To evaluate the place in therapy of fresh frozen plasma (FFP), C1 esterase concentrate (C1-INH), ecallantide, and icatibant in the management of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor–induced angioedema (ACEI-IA). Data Sources: A literature search was performed using PubMed (1946 through August 2015) and Embase (<1966 through August 2015). References from identified articles were reviewed. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Consensus papers, practice guidelines, case reports/series, clinical trials, and meeting abstracts published in English and involving humans were included. Data Synthesis: No medications are currently Food and Drug Administration–approved for managing ACEI-IA. Emerging evidence suggests that FFP and medications approved for management of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema, another bradykinin-mediated event, may be effective for use in ACEI-IA. Positive efficacy results were reported with FFP and C1-INH while mixed results have been seen with ecallantide. Off-label icatibant has the most evidence supporting its use in ACEI-IA with rapid symptom resolution (10 minutes to 6 hours) and avoidance of intubation and tracheotomy in several cases. These agents were well-tolerated in ACEI-IA. Conclusion: ACEI-IA is typically a self-limiting event. First-line therapies include ACEI discontinuation, observation, and supportive medications (eg, corticosteroids, antihistamines, and epinephrine). Symptom progression can be life-threatening and may require interventions such as tracheotomy and intubation. Off-label use of FFP and medications approved for hereditary angioedema have resulted in rapid resolution of symptoms and avoidance of intubation. Among these agents, icatibant has the most supporting evidence and has been incorporated into practice guidelines and algorithms as a second-line agent for serious life-threatening ACE-IA.