LONDON, June 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The HAE Awareness Programme was launched today, an online interactive training programme aimed to increase awareness of Hereditary Angioedema (HAE). Developed by an Editorial Board of HAE Experts and supported by an unrestricted educational grant from CSL Behring Ltd, http://www.hae-awareness.net was launched at the 29th Congress of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) where delegates were among the first to trial a demonstration of the educational resource.
HAE is a rare genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of C1-INH that is characterised by acute attacks of facial, laryngeal, abdominal, genital or peripheral oedema(1). HAE has a prevalence of between one in 10,000 and one in 50,000 and, although symptoms begin during the first decade of life, patients are not typically diagnosed until their mid-20s.(2,3)
Symptoms of HAE include episodes of oedema, or swelling, in the hands, feet, the face, the abdomen and/or the larynx. Patients who have abdominal attacks of HAE can experience episodes of severe pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting caused by swelling of the intestinal wall.(1) HAE attacks that involve the face and larynx can result in airway closure, asphyxiation, and, if untreated, death.(1,4)
The HAE Awareness Programme is accessible at http://www.hae-awareness.net and healthcare professionals completing the training will be able to gain CPD credits recognised by the Royal College of Physicians. This unique e-learning initiative is designed to improve the service provision for patients suffering with HAE by sharing best practice guidelines and education with all front-line clinicians involved in delivering care, including acute care physicians, anaesthetists, dermatologists, immunologists and paediatricians. When users register and select their speciality, they are automatically routed down specific, tailored educational streams to the content that is deemed the most appropriate for their speciality.
Dr Hilary Longhurst, Consultant Clinical Immunologist at Barts and the London NHS Trust, who helped develop the programme, commented: The HAE Awareness Programme is designed to increase awareness among physicians regarding HAE, its diagnosis, treatment and the unmet needs of patients suffering from the condition. The HAE Awareness Programme should improve the standards of care for patients and facilitate more prompt and effective treatment of HAE.
Eddie Owens, General Manager at CSL Behring Ltd, commented: The HAE Awareness Programme has been developed by leading HAE physicians from the UK and aims to provide healthcare professionals with online, tailored training to address a previously unmet need. We are delighted to be part of the team who have made the programme possible.
The HAE Awareness Programme will be available online to UK clinicians from June 2010. Availability will then expand to include the whole of Europe later in the autumn.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry. Passionate about improving the quality of patients' lives, CSL Behring manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant products and related services. The company's therapies are used in the treatment of immune deficiency disorders, hereditary angioedema, haemophilia, von Willebrand disease and other bleeding disorders. Other products are used for the prevention of haemolytic diseases in the newborn and the treatment of burns. The company also operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited, a biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit http://www.cslbehring.co.uk.
Notes to editors
- The initiative has been made possible through sponsorship from CSL Behring Ltd - EAACI was held at ExCeL in London from 5th to the 9th of June 2010 and is considered to be one of the most important events of the year for those with an interest in allergy, allergic diseases and immunology
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[1] Agostoni A, Aygoren-Pursun E, Binkley KE, et al. Hereditary and acquired angioedema: problems and progress: proceedings of the third C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency workshop and beyond. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004;114(3 Suppl):S51-S131.
[2] Bouillet L, Longhurst H, Boccon-Gibodi I, et al. Disease expression in women with hereditary angioedema. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008;199(5):484-7.
[3] Zingale LC, Bork K, Farkas H, et al. Poster 1079: The European register of hereditary Angioedema: experience and preliminary results. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007;119(Suppl 1):S276.
[4] Reid M, Euerle B, Bollinger E. eMedicine specialities: urticaria and angioedema. 2008. Available at emedicine.medscape.com/article/135208. Last accessed March 2010.
For further information, source photography or a case study, contact Rebecca Fancini at Hill Knowlton on +44-020-7413-3490 or rebecca.fancini@hillandknowlton.com
A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.
SOURCE: CSL Behring
CONTACT: For further information, source photography or a case study,contact Rebecca Fancini at Hill Knowlton on +44-020-7413-3490 orrebecca.fancini@hillandknowlton.com
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