title: Abdominal attack of hereditary angioedema associated with marked leucocytosis. A case report.
abstract: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks are not usually associated with an increase of peripheral blood leucocytes. In a 25-year-old woman suffering from HAE a marked leucocytosis (31,000/mm3) with polynucleosis was observed during a severe attack of the disease. Awareness of the underlying disease, physical examination and the results of instrumental investigations allowed for appropriate treatment avoiding invasive procedures. A leucocytosis of the severity observed in our patient suggests that the abdominal attack of HAE can involve the peritoneum as well as the intestinal mucosa. Thus, in a patient with an attack of abdominal pain the presence of leucocytosis does not exclude the diagnosis of HAE.
authors.affiliation: Chirurgia Generale e Geriatrica, Università di Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calbo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Quattrocchi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ferlazzo
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D000799:Angioedema / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007964:Leukocytosis / Q000473:pathology*