colistin and Angioedema

A 50-year-old woman known to have type 1 diabetes mellitus presented with a rare case of angio-oedema associated with colistin use. The angio-oedema was temporally associated with the use and discontinuation of colistin with the reasonable exclusion of important differential diagnoses. Pseudoallergy may be a probable underlying mechanism. However, we cannot exclude the possibility of hereditary angio-oedema type 2 or 3, or that her concomitant medications (particularly enalapril) and her renal impairment contributed to the risk and severity of her angio-oedema.

Topics: Acinetobacter baumannii; Angioedema; Anti-Allergic Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Colistin; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Middle Aged; Promethazine; Sepsis; Treatment Outcome; Urinary Tract Infections; Withholding Treatment