Hereditary Angioedema Precipitated by Estrogen Replacement Therapy in a Menopausal Woman

McGLINCHEY, PAUL G. MB, BCh, BAO, MRCP
McCLUSKEY, DAVID R. MD, FRCP, FRCPI

From the Departments of General Medicine (pgm), and Clinical Immunology (drm), Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Received October 1, 1999; accepted in revised form March 6, 2000.

Correspondence: Dr. P.G. McGlinchey, Department of Cardiology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Grosvenor Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT12 6BA (E-mail: [email protected]).

American Journal of the Medical Sciences 320(3):p 212-213, September 2000.

We report the first documented case in the literature of hereditary angioedema presenting after commencement of estrogen replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms. The late presentation of the disease and the precipitation of attacks by physiological doses of estrogen replacement therapy make this a highly unusual case. The pathophysiology of hereditary angioedema and its hormonal links are discussed.