What is angioedema?
Angioedema is localized edemadermis, mucous membranes and fatty tissue, which can occur due to a variety of different causes. Synonymous with this disease are Quincke's edema and allergic edema.
Etiology of the disease
Angioedema can cause many things, phenomena and objects that surround a person in everyday life. It can be:
- medicines. Angioedema can cause many types of antibiotics, immunoglobulins, sulfonamides, as well as B vitamins;
- food products. Quincke may develop swelling, fish, cheese, eggs, milk, nuts, beans, citrus fruits, tomatoes, strawberries and chocolate;
- insects. Some insects can produce poisonous toxins that, upon admission to the human body, will immediately cause angioedema, if the patient has an allergy to this kind of poison. Such insects include bees, hornets and wasps;
- latex. Rarely, but still can trigger an allergic reaction of latex products, in particular, condoms, gloves, urinary and intravenous catheters;
- epidermal allergens. Epidermal allergens capable of causing allergic edema include saliva and dander of cats, dogs and other animals.
Symptoms of the disease
Edema begins in 15 minutes (maximum half an hour) after contact with the allergen, that is, the reaction rate is very fast. It is often accompanied by hives.
Often often localized in places wherewell expressed subcutaneous fat tissue, for example, on the lips or eyelids, as well as in the mouth, for example, in the soft palate or tongue. In addition, there are cases when the swelling begins to develop on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. In this case, there is a high risk of asphyxia.
If the respiratory mucosa developsangioedema, symptoms will be as follows: barking cough, difficulty breathing, noisy breathing, cyanotic facial tone, patient's anxiety. If the victim at this point does not quickly provide medical assistance, then he may die because of asphyxia.
In addition, very often there are cases of development from the usual angioedema, anaphylactic shock, which outside the hospital walls often end in a lethal outcome.
Anaphylactic shock has the following fromImplications:
- itching,
- urticaria,
- swelling of the throat, pharynx and larynx,
- bronchospasm,
- vomiting,
- nausea,
- stomach ache,
- hypotension,
- violation of the heart rhythm,
- development of OSSN,
- convulsions,
- a coma.
Without the provision of timely and qualified care in case of unfavorable course of the disease, the patient most often dies from lack of oxygen (asphyxia) as a consequence of swelling of the throat.
Treatment of the disease
Treatment is almost always symptomatic, but every health worker needs to know quite certain algorithms for eliminating this syndrome.
With edema of the larynx, the patient is administered adrenaline andantihistamines, followed by inhalation with the use of vasoconstrictor, and then the patient is hospitalized in a specialized ENT department. If it is not possible to expand the airways by medicinal methods, tracheotomy and intubation are performed.
With anaphylactic shock,the ability to stop the supply of an allergen - this is due to the widespread cases of an anaphylactic reaction to the infusion of various drugs. After that it is necessary to ensure the patency of the airways, if necessary, intubating the patient or producing a tracheotomy. After this, parenterally administered adrenaline, dopamine, norepinephrine and antihistamines. With the development of edema associated with food or drug allergy, a course of curative fasting with the use of enterosorbents and laxatives is administered.
