Self-administration of therapy can help hereditary angioedema (HAE) patients regain control of their disease or reduce its impact and improve the quality of their lives. However, data from a self-administration survey, and subsequent discussion at an international HAE expert meeting, identified several barriers to self-administration therapy. These barriers include difficulty in administration technique, availability of nursing resources and the mental capacity of the patient. Encouragingly, international HAE experts identified that once a patient has acquired self-administration skills, they generally retain them in the long-term. As patient uptake increases, it was recommended that follow-up management plans should be established to address any issues from the patient's perspective.

1.
Bygum A, Aygören-Pürsün E, Caballero T, Beusterien K, Gholizadeh S, Musingarimi P, Wait S, Boysen H: The hereditary angioedema burden of illness study in Europe (HAE-BOIS-Europe): background and methodology. BMC Dermatol 2012;12:4.
2.
Lunn ML, Santos CB, Craig TJ: Is there a need for clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis of hereditary angioedema and the screening of family members of affected patients? Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2010;104:211-214.
3.
Bork K, Siedlecki K, Bosch S, Schopf RE, Kreuz W: Asphyxiation by laryngeal edema in patients with hereditary angioedema. Mayo Clin Proc 2000;75:349-354.
4.
HAEi International Patient Organization for C1 Inhibitor Deficiencies: State of management of HAE in Europe. 2011. http://www.haeday.org/sites/default/files/upload/English%20PDF-%20HAEi_Report.pdf (accessed 24 September 2012).
5.
Lumry WR, Castaldo AJ, Vernon MK, Blaustein MB, Wilson DA, Horn PT: The humanistic burden of hereditary angioedema: Impact on health-related quality of life, productivity, and depression. Allergy Asthma Proc 2010;31:407-414.
6.
Bygum A, Andersen KE, Mikkelsen CS: Self-administration of intravenous C1-inhibitor therapy for hereditary angioedema and associated quality of life benefits. Eur J Dermatol 2009;19:147-151.
7.
Prior N, Remor E, Gómez-Traseira C, López-Serrano C, Cabañas R, Contreras J, Campos Á, Cardona V, Cimbollek S, González-Quevedo T, Guilarte M, de Rojas DH, Marcos C, Rubio M, Tejedor-Alonso MÁ, Caballero T: Development of a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire for adult patients with hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (HAE-QoL): Spanish multi-centre research project. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2012;10:82.
8.
Weller K, Groffik A, Magerl M, Tohme N, Martus P, Krause K, Metz M, Staubach P, Maurer M: Development and construct validation of the angioedema quality of life questionnaire. Allergy 2012;67:1289-1298.
9.
Caballero T, Sala-Cunill A, Cancian M, Craig TJ, Neri S, Keith PK, Boccon-Gibod I, Bethune C, Bork K: Current status of implementation of self-administration training in various regions of Europe, Canada and the USA in the management of HAE. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2013;161(suppl 1):10-16.
10.
Longhurst HJ, Farkas H, Craig T, Aygören-Pürsün E, Bethune C, Bjorkander J, Bork K, Bouillet L, Boysen H, Bygum A, Caballero T, Cicardi M, Dempster J, Gompels M, Gooi J, Grigoriadou S, Huffer U, Kreuz W, Levi MM, Long J, Martinez-Saguer I, Raguet M, Reshef A, Bowen T, Zuraw B: HAE international home therapy consensus document. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol 2010;6:22.
11.
Symons C, Rossi O, Magerl M, Andritschke K: Practical approach to self-administration of intravenous C1-INH concentrate: a nursing perspective. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2013;161(suppl 1):17-20.
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.