How Not to Be Misled by Disorders Mimicking Angioedema: A Review of Pseudoangioedema

Background: Angioedema is a vascular reaction involving the lower dermis, subcutis and/or submucosal tissue and causing a temporary localized swelling in any part of the body. For many health care professionals, the diagnosis presents an ongoing challenge; several disorders may manifest with subcutaneous or submucosal swelling and falsely be assumed to be angioedema. The clinicians at the emergency department and in the immunology/allergy clinics must be skilled at recognizing the features of angioedema and its differential diagnosis. Methods: The review is based on a literature search with specific indexing terms in PubMed, a review of bibliographies and the authors’ clinical experience. Results: The most essential diseases that mimic angioedema, the so-called pseudoangioedemas, will each be discussed and illustrated by clinical photos, pointing out key features that help clarify the diagnoses and differentiate these from classic angioedema. Conclusions: A variety of Published online: April 22, 2016 Correspondence to: Dr. Michelle Fog Andersen Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery University Hospital of Sjaelland Lykkebaekvej 1, DK–4600 Koege (Denmark) E-Mail michellefog @ yahoo.com © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel 1018–2438/16/1693–0163$39.50/0