enalapril and Deglutition-Disorders

Angioedema remains a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor use. Most presentations involve edema of the tongue or oral pharynx. However, in recent years, a visceral form involving the gastrointestinal tract also has been described. We present the case of a rare presentation of esophageal and retropharyngeal edema related to ACE inhibitor use. A review of ACE inhibitor-related angioedema is also presented.

Topics: Angioedema; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Deglutition Disorders; Enalapril; Esophageal Diseases; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Somatosensory Disorders; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme may rarely cause an angioneurotic oedema of the upper aerodigestive tract. The pathomechanism of this side effect depends on an interaction of the drug with hormones regulating the vascular resistance such as the kallikrein kinin system and the prostaglandin system. Anglo-oedema is characterised by subcutaneous or submucosal swelling, which preferably affects the lips, the soft palate, the tongue and the larynx. Pathomechanisms, differential diagnosis and treatment of ACE-inhibitor induced oedema of the upper aerodigestive tract are described by means of 3 case reports.

Topics: Airway Obstruction; Angioedema; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Antihypertensive Agents; Captopril; Deglutition Disorders; Enalapril; Humans; Hypertension; Lisinopril; Male; Middle Aged