Conclusions
In summary, we show that in our large sample of patients with early
symptoms, the majority can always or usually predict an impending
swelling and that treatment at an early stage is associated with better
outcomes. These results add to the growing body of data on this topic
although further research is still required. HAE patients continue to
face a number of difficulties and this highlights the need for more
focused, well-designed studies in this area to better characterize
prodromal signs and symptoms, their predictive value, and the temporal
relationships between prodromes and attacks. We hope that our findings
will stimulate further interest in how prodromes can contribute to
management of HAE. Better characterization and understanding of
prodromal symptoms may help patients recognize that an attack is
developing and institute preventative behavioural or treatment measures
to mitigate swellings and lessen the impact of the disease on their
day-to-day life.