Hives and angioedema


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Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

Hives and angioedema nearly always cause:

  • Itching
  • Discomfort

In more-serious cases — such as when swelling occurs inside your mouth or throat — complications can include:

  • Difficulty breathing.
  • Loss of consciousness.
  • Anaphylactic shock — a serious allergic reaction involving your heart and lungs. Your bronchial tubes narrow, it's difficult to breathe, and your blood pressure drops, causing dizziness and perhaps loss of consciousness or even death. Anaphylactic shock occurs rapidly and requires immediate medical care.
Preparing for your appointment Risk factors
References
  1. Kaplan AP. Urticaria and angioedema. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=2958607. Accessed Sept. 13, 2010.
  2. MacNeal RJ. Urticaria. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec10/ch109/ch109e.html?qt=urticaria&alt=sh#sec10-ch109-ch109e-101c. Accessed Sept. 14, 2010.
  3. Bingham CO. New onset urticaria: Diagnosis and Treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 29, 2010.
  4. Atkinson JP. Diagnosis of hereditary angioedema. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 29, 2010.
  5. Bingham CO. New onset urticaria: Epidemiology, clinical manifestations and etiology. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 29, 2010.
  6. Urticaria and angioedema. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology. 6th ed. New York, N.Y. The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=5187962. Accessed Sept. 14, 2010.
  7. Initial evaluation of all patients with urticaria. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 5th ed. Edinburgh, Scotland. Mosby/Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00015-8--s0180&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9&type=bookPage&sectionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00015-8--s0180&uniqId=220753099-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00015-8--s0180. Accessed Oct. 1, 2010.
  8. Treatment of urticaria. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 5th ed. Edinburgh, Scotland. Mosby/Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00015-8--s0290&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9&type=bookPage&sectionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00015-8--s0290&uniqId=220753099-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00015-8--s0290. Accessed Sept. 13, 2010.
  9. Acute urticaria: Evaluation and management. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 5th ed. Edinburgh, Scotland. Mosby/Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00015-8--s0185&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9&type=bookPage&sectionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00015-8--s0185&uniqId=220753099-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00015-8--s0185. Accessed Oct. 1, 2010.
  10. Bingham CO. An overview of angioedema: Clinical features, diagnosis and management. http://www.uptodate.com/index/home.html. Accessed Oct. 1, 2010.
  11. Delves PJ. Angioedema. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec13/ch165/ch165b.html. Accessed Oct. 1, 2010.
  12. FDA licenses for marketing new drug for rare genetic disease. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm161477.htm. Accessed Oct. 1, 2010.
  13. Cinryze. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/BloodBloodProducts/ApprovedProducts/LicensedProductsBLAs/FractionatedPlasmaProducts/ucm150480.htm. Accessed Oct. 6, 2010.
  14. Nolte H, et al. Overview of skin testing for allergic disease. http://www.uptodate.com/index/home.html. Accessed Oct. 2, 2010.
  15. Berinert. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/BloodBloodProducts/ApprovedProducts/LicensedProductsBLAs/FractionatedPlasmaProducts/ucm186264.htm. Accessed Oct. 15, 2010.
  16. Kalbitor. Drugs @FDA. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/index.cfm. Accessed Oct. 15, 2010.
  17. Gibson LE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 13, 2010.
DS00313 Dec. 21, 2010

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