Treatment of Idiopathic Angioedema With Xolair as Add-on Therapy

The overall hospitalizations for a diagnosis of angioedema doubled from the year 2000 to 2009. Although some of the cases represented hereditary angioedema or ace-inhibitor induced angioedema, the majority of episodes were idiopathic. Idiopathic Angioedema (IAE) can be life- threatening especially when affecting tissues within the respiratory tract. No clear guidelines exist for management of this important condition for clinicians. Current therapies typically include avoidance of potential triggers and use of medications either for prophylaxis or for acute events, such as antihistamines, corticosteroids, and epinephrine. There remains a critical need for therapeutic options to provide more effective prophylaxis.