Local man hospitalized after severe facial swelling linked to lisinopril

A local man recently had a frightening reaction to lisinopril, a medication he had taken for more than a year.

Matt Laughlin was taken to the ER after his face swelled so badly that he was barely recognizable.

Doctors say the condition is angioedema, which can look like an allergic reaction but is not actually one.

Because of that, common remedies such as Benadryl do not help reduce the swelling.

Dr. Stefan Pienkowski said anyone who experiences this kind of reaction should go to the ER right away.

“This is a potentially life threatening event,” said Dr. Pienkowski. “Usually it is a mild reaction. However, it can be so severe that it obstructs the airway and a patient may need to be intubated. So they need close observation. Treatment for this kind of Bradykinin angioedema is difficult because it does not respond to typical allergic medications, like epinephrine or Benadryl. I mean, antihistamines or steroids. It doesn't really, react. It's not really treated by those things because it's Bradykinin mediated. Really time is what gets people over this hump.”