Differential Diagnosis for Swelling of Lips
- Single most likely diagnosis
- Allergic reaction: This is often the most common cause of lip swelling, resulting from an immune response to an allergen such as food, insect bites, or certain medications. The reaction can range from mild to severe and is typically accompanied by other symptoms like itching, redness, and difficulty breathing in more severe cases.
- Other Likely diagnoses
- Angioedema: A condition characterized by the rapid swelling of the dermis, subcutaneous tissue, mucosa, and submucosal tissues. It can be allergic or non-allergic in nature and often involves the lips, face, and sometimes the mucous membranes.
- Insect bites or stings: Reactions to bites or stings can cause localized swelling, including the lips, and can range from mild to severe.
- Trauma: Physical injury to the lip can cause swelling due to inflammation and bruising.
- Infections: Bacterial, viral, or fungal infections can cause lip swelling, such as cold sores (herpes simplex) or impetigo.
- Do Not Miss (ddxs that may not be likely, but would be deadly if missed.)
- Anaphylaxis: A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that requires immediate medical attention. Symptoms can include swelling of the lips and face, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, and a fall in blood pressure.
- Hereditary angioedema: A rare genetic disorder that causes recurring episodes of severe swelling, which can be life-threatening if not properly managed.
- Rare diagnoses
- Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome: A rare neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, often unilateral, facial paralysis or weakness, swelling of the face and lips, and the development of folds and furrows in the tongue (fissured tongue).
- Ascher syndrome: A rare condition characterized by the combination of double lip, blepharochalasis (excess skin of the eyelids), and nontoxic thyroid goiter, which can include lip swelling as part of its presentation.
- Sarcoidosis: A disease in which granulomas (abnormal masses of inflamed tissue) can form in various parts of the body, including the lips, leading to swelling.