Around 80 people in Lithuania suffer from this dangerous disease, but more than half do not know who has it

According to the woman, her mother already had significant health problems.

“My mother advised me not to give birth because I had a rheumatic heart. My sister had the same diagnosis after a cold. They were treated for systemic lupus erythematosus, although 10 diagnostic parameters were not identified. The main drug was hormones. The sister left at 38 and the mother at 72. Our house was like a hospital, you could often see swelling on her body, “said the interlocutor.

At age 50, the woman noticed that she also suffered from various inflammations, especially on her face. However, the disease could not be found so quickly: Birute was told by dentists that it was periodontitis.

However, the body continued to rot until finally, in 2019, Birutė’s son visited allergist teacher Laura Malinauskienė.

“It turns out that my son was diagnosed with angioedema, so he asked me to get a checkup as well. The teacher also diagnosed me with the disease immediately, ”said the woman.

It turns out that the angioedema was inherited not only by Birutė, but also by his sister’s daughter and granddaughter. However, for them, the swelling occurs only on the outside, and for Birute, the form of the disease is more serious, both externally and internally. This means that swelling can occur in both the intestine and the throat.

“I inherited angioedema from my mother, only at that time the disease was not detected and she did not know she was ill. Angioedema accelerated his departure, “the woman said.

According to Birutė, her face is usually swollen. At that point, the woman feels as if the fluids have stopped, and then the eyelids, nose, and lips begin to swell. The interviewee recalls that in the past, the reception department had to be visited several times a month due to the appearance of swelling.

“I cannot fully control the disease, but I watch the blood clotting, I try to avoid a stroke and a heart attack. There is still a long way to go before the swelling goes away. If I go out of the house, I take medicine to everyone. parts. However, I can’t go right hand through the veins, so I want to train at a medical institution on how to do it myself, “Birutė said, adding that the quality of life has really improved after diagnosing a specific disease. .

Without treatment for angioedema, it often ends in suffocation.

According to Laura Malinauskienė, allergist and clinical immunologist at the Santara Clinics, angioedema is caused by genetic changes and swelling of body tissues. However, the disease is not the same that we all sometimes experience: it seems that a lot of water would be injected into a certain part of the body.

It can be lips, tongue, face, hand, foot, anywhere. The swelling is often caused by physical trauma.

“When a sick person crashes, you can expect a bruise. And a person with angioedema begins to swell in the hit place, the swelling increases one day and only then does it begin to decrease, “said the professor.

Such swelling can only be cured with special medications, and allergy medications often don’t help at all. The most serious complication is when the patient’s throat begins to swell; If you don’t get help in time, everything can end in suffocation and death.

“Swelling is the main and probably the only symptom of the disease, but it feels differently in different places. If it is a limb, it increases, it becomes dysfunctional, painful. If the bloating begins in the intestines, it causes severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and a drop in blood pressure. The swelling of the face spoils the aesthetic appearance, which makes the person unable to work, ”said the professor.

People with angioedema cannot take certain medications, such as for high blood pressure. And women cannot use contraception.

“Treatment is easy to get, only people need to diagnose the disease and prescribe drugs,” said prof. L. Malinauskiene.

About 50 Lithuanians do not even know they have this disease

Although the disease is inherited, it did not necessarily have to be caused by the parents; it can be inherited from an uncle or other relatives. When angioedema is diagnosed, according to the interlocutor, it is always suggested to examine children, brothers and sisters.

“It is possible that in the past, when not as much was known about angioedema, family members died in the family for unclear reasons. For example, a patient recalled that her uncle had died before age 30 when everyone agreed. However, a person can also be the first to contract this disease, which is transmitted through a hereditary chain. But most of the sick people in his family have already had this disease, “said the doctor.

Angioedema rarely occurs in childhood and is more common in adolescents ages 12 to 18 due to the importance of sex hormones. However, the disease can appear for the first time up to the age of 40.

There are 12 patients with angioedema and 18 patients treated in Vilnius, but 18 in Kaunas. This means that around 50 people with the disease still walk this path without knowing the exact diagnosis.

“It may be that a person does not encounter this disease for a long time. Swelling occurs not only from this disease, but also from other more common causes, such as allergies. As a result, these people are often treated for allergies. In Lithuania , angioedema is most often diagnosed in people over the age of 30. Although the symptoms began in adolescence, “said prof. L. Malinauskiene.

When should you look for this disease? According to the doctor, if a person has recurrent swelling without rashes and is not being treated with allergy medications, and if such swelling has occurred before the age of 40, it is important to worry about whether there have been similar cases in the family. .

So far, the disease is incurable. However, according to the interlocutor, several gene therapy studies are being carried out, usually an alteration of a single gene. Therefore, angioedema can be expected to heal in the near future.

“Patients are now receiving drugs that are administered intravenously or subcutaneously. In the event of an attack, medication should be administered and prevented. People who do not receive treatment often die of laryngeal edema because the severity of the swelling cannot be predicted. If the disease is detected and cared for properly, a person can lead a normal life, research shows. And most importantly, life expectancy is not different from that of the sick, ”said the doctor.