Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitor-induced Angioedema and Hereditary Angioedema: A Comparison Study of Attack Severity

Objective There appears to be differences in the clinical presentation of hereditary angioedema (HAE) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-induced (ACE-I) angioedema (AE). The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics of these two AE forms. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of consecutive patients with HAE or ACE-I AE. The attack characteristics experienced by the patients were compared by a logistic regression analysis using generalized estimating equations. Results A total of 56 patients were included in this study (ACE-I AE, n=25; HAE, n=31). A total of 534 attacks were documented. Severe attacks were more common in the patients who had an acute episode of ACE-I AE than HAE. Swelling of the tongue, lips and larynx were significantly associated with ACE-I AE [OR: 8.70 (95% CI, 1.04-73.70), OR: 20.4 (95% CI, 4.9-84.2) and OR: 7.50 (95% CI, 1.20-48.30), respectively]. Conclusion Swelling of the tongue, lips and larynx are significantly more frequent in drug-induced AE than HAE.