Awareness of hereditary angioedema among emergency physicians: a survey study

Introduction:
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare disease with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern characterized by recurrent angioedema attacks caused by excessive accumulation of bradykinin in the tissues. Its symptoms resembling clinical symptoms of histaminergic angioedema can make diagnosing and treating the disease difficult. Data regarding emergency physicians’ knowledge of HAE are limited.

Aim:
To evaluate the level of awareness and knowledge of emergency physicians about HAE.

Material and methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing a Google Forms survey distributed through WhatsApp and email. The survey, conducted among emergency physicians in Turkey, included questions about HAE and collected demographic information.

Results:
A total of 342 emergency physicians participated in the study. The median post-graduate employment period was six years (IQR, 2–12 years), and 204 (59%) physician were male. Thirty-eight (11.1%) physicians provided entirely accurate answers to questions concerning HAE symptoms. Additionally, 20 (7.4%) physicians selected the exact correct answers for diagnostic tests, 14 (4.1%) for attack triggers, and 26 (7.6%) for acute attacks. Physicians working in hospitals with allergy clinics were more aware of the HAE diagnosis (10.4% vs. 4.1%, p = 0.024).

Conclusions:
This study shows that emergency physicians recognize HAE but do not fully differentiate it from histaminergic angioedema. Early diagnosis and effective treatment are critical to improving quality of life and preventing potentially fatal attacks.