Clinical Studies of Sudden Upper Airway Obstruction in Patients With Hereditary Angioedema Due to C1 Esterase Inhibitor Deficiency

Abstract
HEREDITARY angioedema (HAE) was first described clinically by Quincke1 and Osler.2 Currently, 3 types of HAE have been described. Classic HAE is a well-defined autosomal dominant disease (Mendelian Inheritance in Man online database No. 106100) caused by an inherited deficiency of functional C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH). Donaldson and Evans3 discovered the underlying defect in 1963: the defective C1-INH gene produces either no C1-INH (type I HAE) or a dysfunctional C1-INH (type II HAE).