Angioedema, an unusual reaction to hair dye

Abstract

Angioedema is a type-1 hypersensitivity reaction that can be life threatening. It affects the skin airways and the gastrointestinal tract. Henna is a green powder used to dye skin and nails. We report a 29 year old patient who presented with angioedema Her patch test was positive to paraphenynlenediamine. She was discharged after successful treatment with intravenous steroids and later topical steroids.

Keywords

• angioedema
• henna
• facial swelling
• paraphenyldiamine
• patch test