DMV Allergy & Asthma Center – Allergist Washington DC & Alexandria
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Angioedema
Expert Angioedema Treatment in Alexandria, VA & Washington DC
Your Trusted Angioedema Specialist for Skin Swelling
Angioedema is a condition caused by sudden swelling deep within the skin’s tissues. It is more common in the skin folds of the face, throat, and other peripheral parts of the body. Causes of angioedema can range from allergies and drug reactions to hereditary disorders. At DMV Allergy & Asthma Center, our specialists offer angioedema treatment tailored to a patient’s needs to avert unexpected attacks.
If you’re experiencing skin swelling or inflammation, don’t wait—Schedule an Appointment with us today to receive the compassionate care you deserve. We proudly serve patients in Alexandria, VA, Washington DC, and nearby areas.
What is Angioedema?
Angioedema is swelling in the subcutaneous layer of the skin. The most notable places in which angioedema occurs include the lips, throat, and eyes. Most of the time it is caused by an allergic reaction, but other cases can occur due to influences such as medication or genealogy. This type of swelling can be dangerous when, in extreme cases, it starts affecting breathing. The following are the usually reported angioedema symptoms:
- Sudden swelling around the eyes, lips, hands, or throat
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing
- Abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting (if the gastrointestinal tract is affected)
Angioedema Diagnosis
A correct angioedema diagnosis is essential in remedying the condition. Our angioedema specialist looks into your medical records, conducts relevant physical examinations, and utilizes other sophisticated diagnostic modalities to understand the problem. The following are the most common angioedema causes:
- Allergic reactions to food, insect stings, or medications
- ACE inhibitors (medications for high blood pressure)
- Hereditary factors, such as hereditary angioedema (HAE), which is a rare genetic condition
Comprehensive Angioedema Treatment Options
The treatment varies according to the degree and cause of the disease. In the DMV Allergy & Asthma Center, we use various treatments to prevent further episodes of angioedema, including:
- Medications: Antihistamines, corticosteroids, and epinephrine are widely used medications and can help to manage allergic angioedema. If a patient is prone to medication-induced angioedema, our medical team at DMV can explore how to minimize the offending drugs alongside the patient’s primary care provider.
- Hereditary Angioedema Treatment: Some medications may be needed to modulate the blood proteins that are responsible for the swelling with other medications. We provide professional hereditary angioedema treatment customized to your needs.
- Emergency Care: Advanced stages of angioedema that include the throat may require emergency epinephrine or other treatments. Our clinic has a preventive plan for acute cases to keep the patients safe.
Why Choose DMV Allergy & Asthma Center?
DMV Allergy & Asthma Center focuses on the needs of every patient with angioedema by providing the highest quality of care possible. Those who are part of the angioedema treatment group work on creating individualized strategies that confirm up-to-date findings and technologies. We realize that having such a condition as angioedema is not easy, which is why we strive to help in every way possible in managing angioedema symptoms.
In our practice, we treat our patients holistically and not only their individual symptoms to provide comprehensive angioedema treatment. Whether you suffer from allergic, drug-induced, or hereditary angioedema, our experienced staff is ready to assist you. We provide solutions for the entire disease trajectory, starting with the angioedema diagnosis and ending with the long-term control of the disease.
Contact DMV Allergy & Asthma Center Today For Best Angioedema Treatment
Whether you’re suffering from angioedema or were recently diagnosed with it, our staff at the DMV Allergy & Asthma Center are ready to assist. We also offer targeted treatment for angioedema to help you manage it better. Book an appointment today to begin your way towards experiencing relief.
FAQs on Angioedema
Most episodes of angioedema are amenable to treatment on an outpatient basis. Antihistamines, commonly second-generation ones like cetirizine, desloratadine, fexofenadine, levocetirizine, and loratadine, are often used as first-line therapy.
Angioedema could also be episodic or chronic in nature where episodes recur every few weeks or months. The etiology is usually unknown but it may be due to several antecedent noncompliance drugs such as penicillin in milk or preservative or dye in food. Chronic angioedema can also be caused by the use of specific medications such as aspirin, NSAID drugs, or opioids.
Angioedema is an unusual ailment, which makes it easy for most clinicians to avoid having patients with HAE. Luckily, some doctors do treat this condition, such as allergists or immunologists.
Patients should be counseled to restrict the availability and use of some medications that may aggravate the HAEs or induce more serious than usual HAE episodes. Such drugs include ACEIs, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), exogenous estrogen content mobile stones, etc., and oral hormones combining estrogen preparation.
A majority of angioedema cases can be attributed to an allergy from an allergen like food items, certain drugs, or owing to insect stings. Angioedema can also arise due to non-allergic factors, such as hereditary aspects, physical factors like cold heat or pressure, and drugs including ACE inhibitors.
Angioedema may take a shorter time if the cause of the condition is addressed. For example, the use of antihistamines and corticosteroids for the treatment of allergic angioedema is common while in extreme situations epinephrine (adrenaline) may be needed. For hereditary angioedema or drug-induced angioedema, specific therapies or cessation of the provoking agent are appropriate. Severe symptoms ought to be medically treated immediately.