The spectrum of chronic angioedema.

This article focuses specifically on angioedema. Chronic angioedema represents a wide range of diseases and can be categorized into several forms including hereditary, acquired, drug induced, and idiopathic. Hereditary and acquired angioedema are known to be a result of abnormalities in C1 inhibitor protein while the mechanism of drug-induced and idiopathic angioedema is less clear. Significant advances have been made in recent years with regard to diagnosis and management of these patients leading to a significant reduction in morbidity and mortality. Several novel therapies are in clinical trials and should be available in the United States within the next year. There is still a lot to learn about the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with chronic angioedema. This review will hopefully provide more information to the readers who care for patients with these disorders and also stimulate further interest and research into the pathophysiology of these conditions.