Objective: To clarify the cause, clinical course, and management of childre
n with angioedema.
Design: Retrospective review.
Setting: Urban tertiary care hospital for children.
Patients: Consecutive sample of all children hospitalized from January 1, 1
987, to December 31, 1997, with the diagnosis of angioedema. Complete recor
ds permitting analysis were available for 10 patients.
Main Outcome Measures: Sex, age, site, symptoms at initial examination, cau
se, therapeutic management, and clinical outcome.
Results: Seven boys and 3 girls, a mean age of 7.7 years, had angioedema of
the head or neck, most often facial (8/10 [80%]). Manifesting symptoms, in
addition to swelling, were tenderness or pain in 4 children (40%), dyspnea
in 3 (30%), dysphagia (including drooling and spitting) in 3 (30%), and ho
arseness in 1 (10%). Angioedema was due to food in 4 children (40%), insect
bites in 3 (30%),infection in 2 (20%), and an antibiotic in 1 (10%). Treat
ment was pharmacological in all cases. No child required intubation or trac
heotomy. Care in the intensive care unit was necessary for 1 child (10%).
Conclusions: Pediatric angioedema exhibits a different cause and clinical m
anifestations than does adult angioedema. Prompt diagnosis and early treatm
ent with an intravenous corticosteroid, an antihistamine, and/or epinephrin
e lead to rapid resolution and may, in appropriately staffed settings, avoi
d the need for care in the intensive care unit or airway intervention. Mana
gement algorithms based on adult experience must be modified to account for
the milder pediatric manifestations of this immunologic disease.