Allergies Urticaria & Angioedema Angioedema Guide Angioedema Guide Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Symptoms of Angioedema By Heidi Moawad, MD facebook linkedin Heidi Moawad is a neurologist and expert in the field of brain health and neurological disorders. Dr. Moawad regularly writes and edits health and career content for medical books and publications. Learn about our editorial process Heidi Moawad, MD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Andy Miller, MD on September 05, 2019 Andy Miller, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and infectious disease. He is an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Learn about our Medical Review Board Andy Miller, MD Updated on October 02, 2019 Print Table of Contents View All Common Symptoms Less Common Symptoms Complications When to See a Doctor Next in Angioedema Guide What Causes Angioedema? Angioedema generally occurs suddenly and produces swelling of the face, arms, or legs. Symptoms can range in severity, and they are rarely life-threatening. There are a few types of angioedema that largely produce the same symptoms, among them swelling, redness, and GI discomfort. © Verywell, 2018 Common Symptoms The most common symptoms of angioedema occur after exposure to something that triggers an allergic reaction, such as food, medication, clothing, cosmetics, or an insect bite. Sometimes the symptoms begin without an identifiable reason. And, if you have hereditary angioedema, they can occur in response to an allergen, to stress, or, more often, without a reason. Angioedema progresses rapidly within a few hours. Often, it can resolve on its own within one to three days. Symptoms resolve gradually. The most common symptoms of angioedema include: This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing. See Photo Angioedema Swelling: The hallmark of angioedema is swelling and puffiness of the eyes or lips. It may also affect the hands, feet or legs, and less often may involve genitalia. Swelling can develop in the throat and tongue as well, and this can affect breathing or eating due to physical obstruction of the airway and food pipe. Swelling is not pitting, meaning that you cannot produce an indentation in the puffy area by pressing on it.Redness: Redness can accompany the swelling or may appear on its own. It can appear as numerous small spots or as patchy areas and can be raised or flat. It may appear anywhere on the body, including areas that are not swollen, but often affects swollen areas or appears at the edges of the swollen areas. Redness is often blanching, which means that it briefly becomes pale when you press on it, but then returns to red again within a few minutes.Rash: A rash, which may appear as small bumps or flat areas clustered together, can develop anywhere on the skin and is usually reddish.Patchy welts: You can develop patches of slightly raised skin, usually reddish or pink in color. These patches are often described as welts. Dizziness: A sense of mild to moderate lightheadedness can accompany the skin changes of angioedema.Stomach upset: You may experience stomach discomfort or nausea in association with angioedema, and this, like the other symptoms, should resolve when the visible symptoms on the skin resolve. Less Common Symptoms In general, the changes associated with angioedema affect the appearance of the skin without causing discomfort. You can experience sensory changes of the skin, diarrhea, or trouble breathing, although these symptoms are less common. Itching: Occasional itching may accompany the redness and swelling with angioedema, but usually, itching is a sign of other conditions such as contact dermatitis.Tingling: Tingling or another non-painful sensation can accompany the swelling of angioedema.Burning: A mildly painful burning sensation may occur with angioedema, particularly on the swollen areas of the body.Diarrhea: Occurring less often than most symptoms, mild diarrhea can accompany angioedema. This occurs as a result of swelling of the digestive system. It is especially rare for diarrhea to be the only symptom of angioedema, although this can happen.Trouble eating: If your tongue and throat become swollen due to angioedema, the swelling may physically interfere with your ability to chew and swallow food. This can increase your chances of choking.Breathing difficulties: Swelling does not usually involve the throat and tongue, but when it does, breathing difficulties may occur as a result of physical obstruction of your airway. Complications Generally, angioedema resolves on its own or with treatment. However, while it is not common, angioedema can cause serious, or even life threatening, complications. Complications of angioedema include: Breathing obstruction: If the swelling in your throat and tongue is extensive, this can impair breathing, preventing air from getting through efficiently. In rare instances, this is a medical emergency, requiring medical or surgical intervention to clear your airway.Shortness of breath: Shortness of breath may occur with angioedema. This is different than the breathing difficulty that occurs due to tongue and throat swelling. In some instances, angioedema can induce actual changes in your respiratory abilities, which requires urgent medical attention.Respiratory arrest: If you have angioedema, your immune system can overreact to such an extent that breathing suddenly stops. This is a life-threatening situation requiring emergency medical assistance. When to See a Doctor It is not possible to predict whether your symptoms will become worse, especially if you have not had angioedema before. And, because the symptoms of angioedema are so sudden and often vague, it is hard to know what is happening. If you experience any of the following symptoms, you should seek medical attention: Shortness of breath: If you experience shortness of breath or feel that you cannot breathe, this could get worse very quickly. You should call for emergency help. If your child or someone else becomes short of breath, you should call for emergency help as well.Faintness, dizziness, or lightheadedness: This could be a sign that you are having a severe reaction that may not quickly resolve on its own.Swelling of your throat or tongue: As with shortness of breath, things can progress rapidly. Even if you are fully conscious, the swelling may quickly block your airway.A strong allergic reaction: If you have had a serious, life-threatening reaction to an allergen before, you could have the same response upon repeated exposure to the allergen. This includes shortness of breath, loss of consciousness, tongue swelling, or heart symptoms. If you have a tendency to have a severe reaction to a particular allergen, eventually you will be able to administer your own treatment, possibly with an EpiPen, whenever symptoms start to occur. What Causes Angioedema? Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Tarbox JA, Bansal A, Peiris AN. Angioedema. JAMA. 2018;319(19):2054. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.4860 Banerji A, Sheffer AL. The spectrum of chronic angioedema. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2009;30(1):11-6. doi:10.2500/aap.2009.30.3188 Bork K. Recurrent angioedema and the threat of asphyxiation. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2010;107(23):408-14. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2010.0408 Additional Reading Bernstein JA, Cremonesi P, Hoffmann TK, Hollingsworth J. Angioedema in the emergency department: a practical guide to differential diagnosis and management. Int J Emerg Med. 2017 Dec;10(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s12245-017-0141-z. Epub 2017 Apr 13. Gill P, Betschel SD. The Clinical Evaluation of Angioedema. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2017 Aug;37(3):449-466. doi: 10.1016/j.iac.2017.04.007.