Angioneurotic Oedema - Quincke's Edema

Angioedema was referred to as angioneurotic oedema in the past, why, will be explained later. Still there is a long list of names of this disease e.g. quinke's edema or quincke edema. The rest of the article explains the details of this disease.

In the past, it was believed that nervous system has some involvement with angioedema. Therefore, the term angioneurotic oedema was used to refer to this skin problem. However, recent studies have revealed that this is not the case indeed and angioedema has other causes and symptoms.

Quincke's edema is another commonly used name for angioedema. It is characterized by the rapid swelling of the human skin. Mostly, the swelling does not cause itching but it may be painful sometimes. In most of the cases, the swelling only lasts for a few hours whereas in severer cases, swelling can last up to more than six weeks.

There are two major sub-types of quincke's edema: acquired quincke's edema which usually results in response to allergies or autoimmune causesand hereditary quincke's edema which is a familial problem and passes down the problems.

The common symptom of quincke's edema is swelling, which develops rapidly on the eyes, lips, tongue and throat. However, it is not limited to these areas only, and any other part of the body can also be affected e.g. hands, arms and feet etc. the swelling in the upper airway or mouth can result in suffocation and must be treated as a medical emergency. In some cases Urticaria (hives) may also develop along with it.

When it comes to treating acquired Quincke's edema, epinephrine has been a great success but in case of hereditary Quincke edema, the results vary greatly. It is recommended that for a proper diagnosis you may have an allergy test by a qualified doctor. Urine and blood tests can be helpful in diagnosing if you are infected by Quincke's edema or not. Certain antihistamines, cinnarazine and many other drugs, and certain therapies e.g. Chinese acupuncture are quite helpful in the treatment.