Abstract:Objective This paper reports the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of a case of HALE (hereditary angioneurotic laryngeal edema, HALE) in order to improve clinicians' awareness of HALE as a rare disease. Methods It was reported for a case of a 71-year-old female admitted with "sore throat, dyspnea and neck swelling for a long time" and "laryngeal edema". The patient suffered from recurrent laryngeal edema, facial edema and limb edema for more than 50 years, which could not be clearly diagnosed. Results After admission, the patient was given symptomatic emergency treatment, and the swelling of the mouth, face and neck of the patient was significantly reduced. The complement C4 and complement C1 esterase inhibitor tests confirmed that the patient was diagnosed as HALE. The patient went to Beijing for examination of complement C1 esterase inhibitor (0.05 g/L) was diagnosed as HALE. And the onset frequency was significantly reduced during danazol treatment. Conclusions HALE with a familial hereditary tendency is a rare and life-threatening disease, which is easy to be misdiagnosed. Clinicians should enhance awareness of it to avoid serious complications.