[Abdominal pain and ascites as manifestations of hereditary angioneurotic edema].

Hereditary angioneurotic edema (HAE) is an infrequent autosomal dominant disorder characterized by a decrease in the levels or a dysfunction of the complement C1 inhibitor factor (C1 inh). The clinical presentation varies widely and involves any area of the organism. Gastrointestinal involvement is usually as abdominal pain and may be accompanied by ascites. De novo diagnosis of HAE with abdominal pain and ascites as a form of presentation is difficult with differential diagnosis with abdominal pain of unknown origin. The appearance of ascites is rare with few cases reported in the literature. Both abdominal pain and ascites disappear a few days after initiation of medical treatment. Occasionally exploratory laparotomy has been required. A new case of abdominal pain and ascites as manifestations of HAE is herein reported.