Hereditary Angioedema, commonly known as HAE, has been classified as a complement deficiency, which is a type of primary immunodeficiency, and occurs in around one in 50,000 people.  People with HAE have unpredictable, recurrent and rapid swellings, which may involve the skin, gut and airway. HAE attacks interfere with daily life and can be life threatening.

HAE Day 2022 aims to increase awareness of HAE in health professionals and the community. A media release for HAE Day 2022 is available here. 

HAE Day 2022 Media Release210.21 KB

The patient organisation for HAE in Australia and New Zealand is HAE Australasia, and we commend them on their outstanding work in advocacy and patient support.

Our intention is that the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy for Australia and New Zealand supports the important work of HAE Australasia and other patient support organisations and enables key issues to be addressed, including early diagnosis of HAE and access to appropriate treatments.

The ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy addresses the need for:

• Improved education for health professionals to recognise early warning signs of HAE and other primary immunodeficiencies;
• Improved access to paediatric and adult clinical immunology/allergy specialists;
• Equitable access to funded treatments in rural, remote and regional centres, as well as urban areas.

The ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy for Australia and New Zealand was launched on 29 April 2022. This launch has resulted in substantial media coverage, particularly regarding newborn screening for Severe Combined Immune Deficiency, commonly known as SCID. The purpose of the Strategy is to improve the health and wellbeing of people living with primary immunodeficiencies, (also known as inborn errors of immunity), and minimise the burden on individuals, carers, health services and the community.

The Strategy is focused on primary immunodeficiencies, a diverse group of more than 400 potentially serious, chronic illnesses due to inherited absence or dysregulation of parts of the immune system, that can lead to reduced quality of life and life expectancy.

This news item was issued on 16 May 2022 by Jill Smith, CEO of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA). ASCIA is the peak professional body for clinical immunology and allergy in Australia and New Zealand.