Diagnosis and treatment modalities for hereditary angioedema in emergency medicine

Hereditary angioedema (HAE), although perhaps a rare occurrence in the professional lives of emergency service professionals, is a dangerous type of angioedema characterized by attacks. The frequency of attack development varies from patient to patient, and due to its ability to affect internal organs, it may progress more severely than other types of angioedema. The diagnosis of HAE is challenging, as it can be confused with many different entities. Considering the often high cost of available medications for attack treatment in developing country emergency departments, they are frequently unavailable. Currently, during attacks, C1 esterase inhibitor concentrate, fresh frozen plasma, high-dose danazol, aminocaproic acid, or tranexamic acid can be used. Recently, lanadelumab has been approved for long-term prophylaxis. It is essential to develop more accessible and practically applicable agents for acute attack treatment in the emergency department to reduce mortality. In this review, we discussed the current approach to HAE and its treatment in the emergency department, as well as new developments in this field.