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Drug-induced angioedema without urticaria: prevalence and clinical features
C Leeyaphan1, K Kulthanan, K Jongjarearnprasert
1Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Background:
Angioedema without urticaria can be caused by drugs. The purpose of our study was to assess the prevalence and clinical features of patients with drug-induced angioedema without urticaria.
Methods:
This study retrospectively reviewed case records at Siriraj Hospital, between January 2007 and December 2008. Patients aged at least 15 years were included.
Results:
The prevalence of drug-induced angioedema without urticaria among patients with adverse drug reactions was 2.3%/year. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) were the most common cause (50%), followed by antibiotics (20%). The commonest NSAID which induced angioedema were ibuprofen and diclofenac. The common sites were periorbital area (67.3%) and lips (27.6%). The median duration of suspected drug therapy before the development of angioedema was 1 day with the range of 10 min to 23 days.
Conclusions:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics were the most common drugs causing angioedema without urticaria. The duration of onset ranged from minutes to days. After stopping the suspected drugs, symptoms disappeared within 2-5 days in most patients.
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