If it's not angioedema, what else could it be? in the past month i have had several incidents of spontaneous facial swelling - twice my lips, twice my tongue, once my chin and once my cheek. i went to the er only for the tongue swelling. i was told i ha

There : There are several form of angioedema includung several forms of the hereditary type. I am surprised that this has surfaced just at this age and for it to be hae. I would advise seeing an allergist versed in the causes of angioedema to sort out the cause here. Note if hae- Epinephrine will not work and oral Prednisone should be of no help.

If : If it not angioedema, it could be just plain edema. Angioedema refers to swelling of subcutaneous tissue as a result of an acute allergic reaction. Most often it comes as a result of food allergy, and allergic to medications such as aspirin. Insect bite reaction can result in acute angioedema also. You could also have edema from conditions such as nephrotic syndrome duo to loss of integrity of cells from low protein levels. Edema form cardiac and liver failure could also be a differentiating condition. Edema from malnutrition in poor countries is very common. Powlin v. Manuel md, mba, ms.

You : You are correct in that a C4 level would be expected to be low for a patient with hae. A C4 level is a good screening test for hae. Providers sometimes will order c1 esterase inhibitor level and function to evaluate for hae. Ace inhibitor medications (for elevated blood pressure) are a common cause of angioedema. If you are taking one of these medications i would check with your prescribing provider about an alternative. I would also recommend that you see your local allergist for ongoing evaluation/treatment.