Hereditary Angioedema; Disorder That Results In Recurrent Attacks of Severe Swelling
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an inherited disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of nonpitting, nonpruritic, submucosal, or subcutaneous swelling. The life-threatening condition is caused due to the lack of C1-esterase inhibitor (C1-INH) causing the blood vessels to dilate. HAE due to C1-inhibitor deficiency (HAE-C1-INH) is a rare, autosomal-dominant disease, which is characterized by recurrent attacks of diffuse, marked, nonpruritic, and nonpitting skin swellings, laryngeal edema, and painful abdominal attacks.
The
most common areas of the body to develop swelling are face, limbs, airway, and
intestinal tract. Minor trauma or stress may trigger an attack, but swelling
often occurs without a known trigger. Symptoms often begin by age 5-11 years and
worsen during puberty, but attacks can occur at any age and recur throughout
life. An HAE attack can result in rapid swelling of the face, limbs, feet,
hands, intestinal tract, trachea (windpipe), or larynx (voice box). Symptoms of
hereditary angioedema typically begin in childhood and worsen during puberty.
On
average, untreated individuals have an attack every 1 to 2 weeks, and most
episodes last for about 3 to 4 days. There is no way to tell if the next Hereditary
Angioedema (HAE) attack will be severe. When untreated, the swelling in
an HAE attack usually increases over 12-36 hours and then gradually subsides
during the next 2 to 5 days. HAE due to C1-INH is a rare genetic disorder in
which mutations in the SERPING1 gene result in deficiency (type I) or
dysfunction (type II) of C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) protein.
HAE
type II is a more uncommon form of the disorder and may occur because of
abnormal C1 esterase proteins that do not function properly. According to the
National Organization for Rare Disorders, around one in 50,000 to 150,000
individuals is affected by this disorder worldwide. According to the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), around 6,000 people (1 in 50,000) in the U.S. are
affected by HAE either as a result of type I or type II.
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