Angio-oedema
goodtoknow says: Angio-oedema causes swellings under your skin. It most commonly affects your lips, eyelids, hands, feet and genitals, but rarely your throat and mouth. It happens when blood vessels in the deep layers of your skin or tissue become leaky and cause swelling. There are various causes. It can be hereditary, or linked to lupus or the skin condition urticaria. You can get recurring episodes, but it normally clears within a few days. See your doctor who will recommend anti-histamines or steroid treatment to control the swellings.
For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of angio-oedema from patient.co.uk, read on.
Episodes of angio-oedema cause swelling of deeper skin tissues, most commonly of the eyelids, lips, genitals, hands, and feet. Sometimes the tongue and throat are affected which may affect breathing. There are various causes. Some people have recurring episodes. Each episode usually clears within a few days. Antihistamines and steroid tablets ease symptoms. If your breathing is affected then go straight to your local accident and emergency department or call for an ambulance urgently.
What is angio-oedema?
Angio-oedema is a condition that can cause swelling of:
- the deeper layers of the skin. That is, the dermis and subcutaneous tissues. Also,
- the tissues just under the lining of the airways, mouth and gut. That is, the submucosal tissues.
What happens is that cells called mast cells are triggered to release a chemical called histamine. Histamine causes the tiny blood vessels in these tissues to become 'leaky'. Fluid then leaks into the tissues which makes them swell. The swelling can occur under any part of the skin or submucosal tissues. However, it commonly affects the eyelids, lips, genitals, hands and feet. Sometimes the tongue, throat and airway are affected and become swollen. The swelling sometimes becomes bad enough to cause difficulty breathing.
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