A 45-year-old white man comes to the emergency room with large areas of nonpitting edema over the face, eyelids, neck, tongue, and mucous membranes, which developed 6 hours ago. Ten days earlier, he started a new drug for hypertension. What is the most likely cause of his reaction? The clinical description is that of a patient who has angioedema. An ACE inhibitor, such as captopril, enalapril, or lisinopril, is the most likely antihypertensive drug to produce this reaction. A recent study reported that 35% of 17 patients seen for angioedema during a 5-year period were on ACE inhibitors. In another study, 77% of patients experienced the reaction within 3 weeks of starting treatment. |
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