On 21 June, on the day dedicated to hereditary angioedema, doors open in the centers specialized in the diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment of this disease, gathered in the ITACA network (Italian Network for Hereditary and Acquired Angioedema).
What if it’s not allergy?
Hereditary angioedema is a rare disease that affects about a thousand people in Italy. But the number is, most likely, underestimated, because recognizing it is not always easy. Too often, in fact, the symptoms are mistaken for those of an allergy. One of them is the sudden swelling of the skin or mucous membranes. Also for this reason, after two years of pandemic, the “open day” of the ITACA centers will be needed. The centers will be available to patients, without an appointment, in the morning from 9 to 12 (more detailed information here). If hereditary angioedema is not diagnosed and treated properly, in fact, it worsens the quality of life and can lead to death.
Who hits
The disease usually occurs before the age of 20 and affects men and women equally. There are two known causes: the deficiency of a plasma protein or the failure of an enzyme. “Angioedema has a simple diagnosis and, when the symptoms are recognized, continuous prophylaxis makes it possible to improve the quality of life of the patients”, explains Mauro Cancian Director of Allergology of the University Hospital of Padua: “Italy represents an excellence compared to other countries, since thanks to this network it guarantees diagnosis and treatment, unlike other nations, where the lack of collaboration between specialists makes the diagnostic and therapeutic process more difficult throughout the territory “.
The association promotes research and collaborates with the Association of patients suffering from Hereditary Angioedema and other Rare Forms of Angioedema (AAEE), to which it provides clinical support. “The goal of the Angioedema day scheduled for May 21 – concludes Cancian – is precisely to facilitate access to the nearest ITACA center: patients will be able to go to the Itaca Centers for a day dedicated exclusively to them”.