A 41-year-old woman presented with recurrent dizziness. After an attack of dizziness, she felt edematous sensations in her hands. However, according to photographs taken during the attack, the edema on the back of the patient's hands and fingers appeared mild. Laboratory examinations revealed a low C4 and C1 inhibitor (INH) activity. A direct sequencing analysis of C1INH revealed a pathogenic gene mutation. Based on these results, she was diagnosed with hereditary angioedema (HAE) type 1. These findings indicate that HAE can cause recurrent dizziness, and it should therefore be included in the differential diagnosis in patients with recurrent neurologic symptoms, even in the absence of severe edema.
Keywords: C1INH gene; complement; dizziness; hereditary angioedema.