title: Hereditary angioedema: A rare cause of recurrent abdominal pain.
abstract: Hereditary angioedema is a rare autosomal dominant inherited disease which is characterized by an episodic, self-limiting increase in vascular permeability. Symptoms commonly involve in nonpitting, nonpruritic skin swellings. We present a case of hereditary angioedema. The patinets complained of a recurrent abdominal pain without accompanying skin swelling whose diagnosis was delayed nearly 20 years and accepted an unnecessary surgery. According to the decreased serum C1-inhibitor and C4 concentration, the patient was finally diagnosed with hereditary angioedema type I. After treatment with danazole, the patient reported a significant decrease in the frequency of attacks and the severity of pain. HAE is a rare cause of abdominal pain, however it needs to be taken as one of the differential diagnosis of various acute abdomens in order to avoid unnecessary surgeries.
authors.affiliation: Xi Chen, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Ying Xue Yang, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ying Xue
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Yu Lan Liu, MSc, Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu Lan
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Hua Tian Gan, MD, Department of Gastroenterology and Geriatrics Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hua Tian
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Zhong Hui Wen, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhong Hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Wen
keywords: Abdominal pain; C1-INH; Hereditary angioedema