An overview of angioedema: Pathogenesis and causes

EPIDEMIOLOGY — Data regarding the epidemiology of angioedema is limited. In a retrospective review of all hospital admissions in New York State over 13 years, angioedema was the second most common "allergic" disease to necessitate hospitalization, exceeded only by asthma [1]. The number of hospitalizations per year more than doubled during the study period, suggesting that the prevalence may be increasing. African Americans were disproportionately affected, as they accounted for 42 percent of the admissions for angioedema, but only 16 percent of the state's population.