PERSONAL STORY

In spite of HAE attacks that began in childhood, Mary's HAE was not diagnosed until she was in her 40s.

My name is "Mary." I'm 54 years old, and I have HAE. As far as I know, no one else in my family has had HAE.

When I was a child, I began having frequent bouts of abdominal pain. The doctors suspected this was caused by a food allergy. The problem was: I had attacks even when I didn't eat. When I was a teenager, these painful attacks became more frequent. By the time I was in my 20s and 30s, I was making frequent trips to the emergency room.

I had several exploratory abdominal surgeries. One time, my doctor thought I had an ectopic pregnancy. It wasn't until I began having facial swelling and swollen hands and feet that the diagnosis of HAE was made. By then, I was in my 40s.

I've been in a few clinical research trials for HAE. The investigational study treatments worked well for me and helped me manage the acute attacks.

Document Published: 12/22/2006 11:42 AM
Last Updated: 12/22/2006 11:47 AM