Hereditary angioedema as a cause of abdominal pain

Abstract

Hereditary angioedema is a rare disease that may have potentially fatal consequences. Despite the fact that recently there is a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, it is still a diagnostic challenge. The average time from the start of symptoms to the diagnosis is in avarage 10 to 25 years. The problem is the wide variety of clinical symptoms affecting various organ systems, the progress of the disease in attacks, and also a lack of awaraness of this disease in medical professionals. The aim of this article is to review the pathofysiology, the clinical picture and briefly the current treatment options. The authors also present a case report of a young female patient with atypical clinical picture of hereditary angioedema.