Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare genetic condition that causes swelling under the skin and lining of the gut and lungs. It can happen in different parts of your body.
You're born with hereditary angioedema (HAE). Although you’ll always have it, treatment helps you manage it.
There have been big improvements in treatment, and researchers continue to look for new solutions.
Symptoms most often initially show up in childhood and get worse during the teen years. Many people don't know HAE is causing their swelling until they're adults.
With this disease, a certain protein in your body is not in balance. This causes tiny blood vessels to push fluid into nearby areas of your body. That leads to sudden swelling.
Where you have it, how often the bouts happen, and how strong they are is different for everyone. The attacks can come and go as well as move to different spots during the same bout.The swelling is typically goes away on its own but can also occur as a life-threatening event.
Your throat can swell. That can cut off your airways and could be deadly. So if you know you have HAE and you feel any change like that, call 911 right away.
The frequency of attacks can vary. You can have attacks as often as every 1 to 2 weeks or 1 to 2 per year, and they can be hard to manage.