Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) is considered an autosomal dominant disorder, characterized by a quantitativeand/or qualitative deficit of C1 esterase inhibitor.
The aim of the study is to establish the relationshipbetween HAE, clinical events, and neurobiological and psychopathologicalparameters, which could influence the phenotype of the disease and thereforeits manifestation in terms of quality, severity and duration of symptoms.
Materialsand Methods: observational study, cross-sectional, non-interventional, cohortof 46 patients with diagnosis of hereditary angioedema. ExclusionCriteria: current pharmacological treatment with ACE-inhibitors,glucocorticoids, psychotropic drugs, immunomodulators, anesthetics. A blood sampling was performed to measure cortisol,IL-6, TNF-α and catecholamines, medical examination, psychiatric examination toinvestigate the clinical characteristics of HAE and presence of life events, psychometric evaluation. Any correlation was assessed by Spearman Rho.
Resultsthe sample consists of 46 patients, including 22 women (47,8%) e 24 men (52,2%). Averageage of onset of symptoms is equal to 14,61 ± 12,46. High values ??of IL-6 (1,83 ± 3,9) and TNF-α (10,2 ± 27,5) were relatedwith severity of pathology .
Conclusionslevels of IL-6and TNF-α are in agreement with the increase in the number of attacks of HAE.
There is a relationshipbetween increased levels of IL-6 and high scores on Hamilton Depression RatingScale and on Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and a higher subjective perceptionof disease severity. The higher was the perceived stress, the greater will bethe subjective perception of disease severity and the presence of pathologicalattachment styles.