Heterogeneous predisposing factors and etiology in uvula edema patients.

OBJECTIVE

Edema of the uvula (EU) may appear in isolation or in association with other associated clinical manifestations such as urticaria, angioedema or anaphylaxis. EU may lead to upper airway obstruction, provoking obstructive respiratory distress and asphyxia. Objective: We sought to investigate the etiology of, and predisposing factors for, EU in a large population of patients referred to an outpatient clinic.

METHODS

In this 3-year-follow-up cohort study, 171 patients presenting with EU were identified and classified as having isolated EU or non-isolated EU. The etiology of each patient´s condition was studied and possible predisposing factors recorded. An allergy work-up and a statistical study (bivariate/multivariate analyses) were performed.

RESULTS

The predisposing factors for both groups of EU patients were found to be different. The etiology of the problem was identified for the majority of the patients; allergy to Anisakis simplex was the most common cause for both groups. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics were also found as etiologies for both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Isolated EU was found to be associated with snoring, an elongated uvula and having suffered from previous episodes of EU. Associations among groups of EU patients and gender, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, personal and family atopy or obstructive sleep apnea, were not demonstrated. Allergy to A. simplex was the most commonly recorded cause.