Awareness of Medications Triggering Hereditary Angioedema Attacks Among Physicians: A Single-Center Study

Background: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition in which inappropriate medication use and delayed recognition may lead to preventable morbidity. Physicians’ awareness of HAE-related triggers, clinical features, and management strategies is therefore essential for timely diagnosis and safe clinical decision-making. This study aimed to assess physicians’ awareness of medications known to trigger HAE attacks across different medical specialties and to identify factors associated with higher levels of HAE-related knowledge. This single-center, cross-sectional survey was conducted among physicians working at a tertiary training and research hospital. A structured questionnaire assessing knowledge of HAE pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, trigger factors, and management strategies was administered electronically. A composite HAE knowledge score (range: 0–14) was calculated and analyzed as a continuous variable Results: A total of 350 physicians participated in the study. Although self-reported familiarity with HAE was high, overall disease-specific knowledge was limited. Awareness of medication-related triggers, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, and estrogen-containing therapies, was low across all specialty groups, with no significant differences observed. Knowledge gaps were also identified in the recognition of key clinical features, diagnostic evaluation, and acute management strategies. In multivariable analysis, prior clinical exposure to patients with HAE was the only factor independently associated with higher knowledge scores (B = 0.98, p = 0.003), whereas specialty group, gender, and years of professional experience were not significant predictors. Conclusion: Despite high general awareness of HAE, important gaps persist in clinically relevant knowledge among physicians across specialties. Awareness appears to be primarily shaped by prior clinical exposure rather than formal specialty training or professional experience. Targeted, practice-oriented educational strategies focusing on medication-related triggers and acute management may help bridge these gaps, complement experiential learning, and support safer clinical decision-making.