[Five cases of nonepisodic angioedema with eosinophilia]

The syndrome of episodic angioedema associated with eosinophilia (EAE), originally identified by Gleich et al., is characterized by recurrent attacks of angioedema, urticaria, fever, increased body weight, and eosinophilia of unknown origin. Five young (aged 23-32 years) female patients were referred to our hospital because of eosinophilia (4,900-10,400/microliter). The chief complaints in all patients were angioedema and pain in the lower extremities without urticaria. Fever and increased body weight were not evident in most of the patients. These clinical features resolved spontaneously within 3 months, and no recurrence was observed. These characteristics were consistent with nonepisodic-type EAE (NEAE), which was proposed by Chikama et al. and is observed frequently in Japan. The clinical characteristics of NEAE were studied in the present 5 cases and the 25 cases reported previously in Japan. This revealed some additional characteristics: 1) a tendency for occurrence in autumn, 2) arthritis and absence of urticaria in some patients, and 3) increased serum LDH levels in some cases. It is suggested that NEAE should be treated with antiallergic drugs or simply followed without treatment, because spontaneous remission is observed frequently.