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Angio-oedema and anaphylaxis - Making a diagnosis
Angio-oedema
- Cellulitis — usually people have associated pain and fever.
- Erysipelas — is caused by Group A beta Streptococcus, and presents with a facial rash which is well-defined and not fleeting, with associated tenderness and fever.
- Lymphoedema — chronic thickening of tissue, unlike the acute stretching seen in angio-oedema.
- Connective tissue disorders — systemic lupus erythematosus is characterized by a butterfly rash on the face and features of systemic involvement.
- Acute contact dermatitis — a person may have a history of contact with a sensitizing agent, with associated intense itching.
- Idiopathic scrotal oedema in children — unknown aetiology, but the swelling is limited to the scrotum.
- Rosenthal–Melkersson syndrome — causes recurrent non-resolving facial oedema, peripheral facial nerve palsy, and fissuring of the tongue.
- Surgical abdomen — sometimes presents similar to hereditary C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency angio-oedema, but a history and an examination should help with the diagnosis.
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