Topics in urticaria and angioedema

Abstract

 Urticaria is a common disease in daily clinical practices. It may accompany angioedema, which appears as local deep edema of the skin and/or mucosa. Angioedema is either mast cell-mediated or bradykinin-mediated. Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a subtype of angioedema, mediated by bradykinin, and may develop edema of airway and gastrointestinal tract, as well as those in visible body surface and mucosa. Many cases of HAE takes time for diagnosis. A survey performed in Japan in 2014 revealed that the average time from onset to diagnosis of HAE was 13.8 years. Recently, several new medications have been licensed or in process for license for urticaria and HAE, respectively. The former includes antihistamines and anti-IgE antibody, and the latter includes bradykinin-targeting drugs. In addition, organizations of HAE patients have launched and are actively collaborating with physicians. Thus, the environments of urticaria and angioedema are rapidly developing.