What Is Angioedema?
2. Is Angioedema the Same as Hives?
While “breaking out in hives” (urticaria) describes the experience of skin discoloration, swelling, puffiness, rashes or heat on the skin’s outer layer in response to an allergen, angioedema occurs at the skin’s deeper layers. Whereas hives appear on the top layer of skin (epidermis), angioedema affects the inner dermal and subcutaneous layers and may appear within the lips, throat and mouth at the mucosa layer (mucus membrane) or submucosal layers of tissue.
Angioedema therefore may be less visible to your loved ones and observers, but more painful for you. You may actually feel the swelling inside your mouth, throat or nose before it becomes visible to the naked eye. Even if you cannot externally see the rash or discoloration right away, go ahead and try some of the solutions seen here, or seek medical treatment to reduce the impact of the angioedema.
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