Meeting reports
7th HAExpert Annual Meeting
The event in 2022 took place in Berlin, Germany, and marked the 10th anniversary of the HAExpert Meeting, chaired by Prof Marcus Maurer and Prof Markus Magerl of the Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité – Universitätsmedizin, Berlin. The meeting was delivered by 14 faculty members including Henrik Boysen, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of HAE International (HAEi) who delivered an insightful guest lecture, describing a patient’s perspective on HAE and current patient-led initiatives. In total, 61 participants attended from 10 countries across Europe.
Day one of the meeting started with the ‘ABCs’ of HAE: about Angioedema, the Burden of disease, and Consensus on the treatment of HAE. Interactive workshops followed, where participants could learn more about HAE in paediatric patients, challenges and unmet needs in HAE management, misdiagnosis and differential diagnosis in HAE, HAE and pregnancy.
Day two consisted of presentations focused on the patients’ perspective on HAE and new digital ways of interacting with patients, followed by interactive workshops. The four workshops covered tips and tricks for talking with patients, the impact of COVID-19 on HAE patients, measuring patient-reported outcomes and their value in guiding disease management, and self-administration/optimisation of HAE treatment. The meeting concluded with presentations discussing individualised patient management with current treatment options, and what is on the horizon for the future of HAE treatment.
Day 1
- Clinical symptoms and diagnosis of HAE
Prof Laurence Bouillet (France) - Pathophysiology of HAE
Dr Alicia Prieto (Spain) - Burden of disease
Dr Stefan Cimbollek (Spain) - Consensus on the treatment of HAE
Prof Marcus Maurer (Germany)
Workshops:
- HAE in paediatric patients
Prof Henriette Farkas (Hungary) - Challenges and unmet needs in HAE management
Dr Isabelle Boccon-Gibod (France) - Misdiagnosis and differential diagnosis in HAE
Prof Mauro Cancian (Italy) - HAE and pregnancy
Dr Petra Staubach (Germany)
Day 2
- The patients’ perspective on HAE and unmet needs
Henrik Boysen (HAEi, Denmark) - New digital ways of interacting with patients
Prof Marcus Maurer (Germany) - Tailored treatment: current options
Dr Clemens Schöffl (Austria) - Future treatment options
Prof Markus Magerl (Germany)
Workshops:
- Talking with patients: tips and tricks
Dr Thomas Buttgereit and Prof Marcus Maurer (Germany) - Impact of COVID-19 on HAE patients
Dr Andrea Zanichelli (Italy) - Patient-Reported Outcomes: measurement and value
PD Dr Karsten Weller (Germany) - Self-administration/optimisation of HAE treatment
Prof Henriette Farkas (Hungary)
Closing the meeting, the Co-Chairs emphasised the importance of the HAExpert Meeting in bringing together physicians from across the world to share their knowledge of HAE, and sounded a call to action for the next generation of HAE experts.