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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Difficulty In Sleeping And Breathing Due To Swelling In Throat. Reason?

I have swelling in my throat for the last few of days, which makes it difficult to breathe & sleep normally. I m not short of breath or light-headed--it s just uncomfortable. My throat isn t sore or red, and my tonsils aren t swollen. I thought it was perhaps a reaction to chocolate, because I had been eating chocolate right before bed, but I didn t eat any last night and am still having this problem. I m otherwise healthy except for seasonal outdoor allergies, which normally affect my sinuses and eyes. I ve recently gained 5 lbs and have been eating more sugar than normal--could either of those be related?
posted on Thu, 14 Jun 2012
Twitter Fri, 15 Jun 2012 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 19 Jun 2012 Last reviewed on
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Allergist and Immunologist,  's  Response
Hello,
It seems you are getting angioedema (means swelling in Medical Terminology) attacks and may sometimes appear to be food-related. If the swelling does not happen within 1hr of eating the same food everytime, then it is unrelated to foods.
Angioedema can be caused by allergies, drugs (commonly blood pressure medication such as Ramipril, Enalapril, etc), viral infections, underactive thyroid. So with your seasonal outdoor allergies and gain in weight, checking thyroid function will be important. The link between underactive thyroid gland and swelling attacks is yet to be proven, but thyroid replacement (if you are hypothyroid) with levo-thyroxine and antihistamines help with the swelling attacks.
If you are a known cardiac patient on blood pressure medications, please have them checked to ensure they are not the cause.
Keep antihistamines at all times.

Thanks.
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Difficulty In Sleeping And Breathing Due To Swelling In Throat. Reason?

Hello, It seems you are getting angioedema (means swelling in Medical Terminology) attacks and may sometimes appear to be food-related. If the swelling does not happen within 1hr of eating the same food everytime, then it is unrelated to foods. Angioedema can be caused by allergies, drugs (commonly blood pressure medication such as Ramipril, Enalapril, etc), viral infections, underactive thyroid. So with your seasonal outdoor allergies and gain in weight, checking thyroid function will be important. The link between underactive thyroid gland and swelling attacks is yet to be proven, but thyroid replacement (if you are hypothyroid) with levo-thyroxine and antihistamines help with the swelling attacks. If you are a known cardiac patient on blood pressure medications, please have them checked to ensure they are not the cause. Keep antihistamines at all times. Thanks.