Angioedema episodes and treatment
When patients were asked about the duration of angioedema episodes, the most common answers were 2–3 days in CHA (22.1%) and 24–48 hours in CSU-AE (27%). Although no significant differences were detected, we observed a trend for a longer duration of angioedema episodes in CHA. No significant differences in the number of angioedema episodes within the previous 12 months were found.
Overall, 69.12% of CHA patients and 82.54% of CSU-AE patients were taking medication to prevent those episodes. The number of patients who followed treatment with H1-antihistamines was significantly higher in CSU-AE (79.37%) than in CHA (52.94%, p=0.001). Additionally, updosing was more necessary in patients with CSU-AE (36.51%, p=0.015), and the number of patients who received fourfold the licensed dose was also higher in this group (9.52%, p=0.041). No significant differences in the other treatments (corticosteroid, omalizumab or others) were observed. However, the number of different concomitant treatments administered to the patients was significantly higher in CSU-AE.