Episodic angioedema with eosinophilia (EAE) is characterized by recurrent angioedema, peripheral eosinophilia, elevated serum IgM, fever, weight gain, and a benign course lacking any internal organ involvement. Dozens of cases of the nonepisodic variant (NEAE), which is limited to a single attack, have been reported in Japan. These NEAE cases normally have been less severe than the episodic type. In this paper, we describe the case of a Korean patient whose clinical and laboratory findings were consistent with NEAE, and review five other cases of EAE and NEAE reported in the Korean literature. The Korean NEAE cases outlined in this paper demonstrate that, as in Japan, NEAE is not uncommon in Korea, and also suggest that this disease exhibits a cultural predilection for Asian populations.
Skin/pathology ; Korea ; Humans ; Follow-Up Studies ; Female ; Eosinophilia/*complications/pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Biopsy ; Angioneurotic Edema/*complications/pathology ; Adult

The prevalence of Loa loa infections in non-endemic areas such as Korea is very low, even though it is quite common in the endemic regions of West and Central Africa. We describe a patient who presented with temporary localized edema (classical Calabar swellings) after travelling to Cameroon and in whom the diagnosis of loiasis was made by ELISA. This is the second reported case of loiasis in Korea. As international travel is becoming more frequent, Loa loa infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients with eosinophilia and Calabar swellings in Korea.
Adult ; Angioneurotic Edema/parasitology* ; Animal ; Antinematodal Agents/therapeutic use ; Arm/parasitology* ; Case Report ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Human ; Ivermectin/therapeutic use ; Loa/isolation & purification ; Loiasis/pathology* ; Loiasis/parasitology* ; Loiasis/complications ; Male ; Skin Diseases/pathology* ; Skin Diseases/parasitology*