Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jun 10;16(6):100783.
doi: 10.1016/j.waojou.2023.100783. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Are pediatricians familiar with hereditary angioedema?

Herberto José Chong-Neto  1 , Bárbara Padilha Aroni  1 , Eli Mansour  2 , Eliana Toledo  3 , Faradiba Sarquis Serpa  4 , Luisa Karla Arruda  5 , Pedro Giavina-Bianchi  6 , Solange Oliveira Rodrigues Valle  7 , Caroline Guth de Freitas Batista de Moraes  1 , Tatielly Kruk  1 , Débora Carla Chong-Silva  1 , Dirceu Solé  8 , Luciana Rodrigues Silva  9 , Anete S Grumach  10 , Nelson Augusto Rosário Filho  1 , Régis de Albuquerque Campos  11
Affiliations

Are pediatricians familiar with hereditary angioedema?

Herberto José Chong-Neto et al. World Allergy Organ J. .

Abstract

Background: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by recurrent episodes of subcutaneous or mucosal edema caused by excess bradykinin. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge of pediatricians about hereditary angioedema.

Methods: An online survey with 12 HAE-related and 14 demographics-related questions was e-mailed to all pediatricians who were members of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (n = 17 145) once a week during the months of June and July 2021. The electronic questionnaire assessed clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of hereditary angioedema in children and adolescents.

Results: Four hundred and fifty-five pediatricians responded to the questionnaire (2.6%), of whom 55 (12.1%) were board certified in Allergy and Immunology (A/I), while 400 (87.9%) were not (N-A/I). Three hundred and sixty-eight (80.9%) were female, 289 (55.7%) were under 50 years of age, 286 (62.9%) graduated from Medical School more than 10 years previously, 83 (18.2%) held an MSc/PhD degree, and 253 (55.6%) were living in the Southeast Region of Brazil. The median number of correct answers to the questions related to HAE among A/I was 7 out of 12 (58.3%), with median ranging from 4.5 to 8 correct answers, while for N-A/I it was 3 (25%), with median ranging from 2.5 to 4 correct answers (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Knowledge about HAE among Brazilian pediatricians, whether board certified in Allergy and Immunology or not, was unsatisfactory. HAE is a rare disease, largely unknown among physicians; therefore, increasing awareness may lead to improvement in diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: Angioedema; Hereditary; Knowledge; Pediatrics; Surveys Questionnaires.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Maurer M., Magerl M., Betschel S., et al. The international WAO/EAACI guideline for the management of hereditary angioedema: the 2021 revision and update. World Allergy Org J. 2022;15 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Campos R.A., Serpa F.S., Mansour E., et al. Brazilian guidelines for hereditary angioedema - Part 1: definition, classification, and diagnosis. Arq Asma Alerg Imunol. 2022;6:151–169. 2022.
    1. Busse P.J., Christiansen S.C., Riedl M.A., et al. US HAEA medical advisory board 2020 guidelines for the management of hereditary angioedema. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021;9:132–150. - PubMed
    1. Engel-Yeger B., Farkas H., Kivity S., Veszeli N., Kohalmi K.V., Kessel A. Health-related quality of life among children with hereditary angioedema. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2017;28:370–376. - PubMed
    1. Gomide M.A.C.M.S., Toledo E., Valle S.O.R., et al. Hereditary angioedema: quality of life in Brazilian patients. Clinics. 2013;6 8:8 1–3. - PMC - PubMed