1. Pack enough medicine

Pack enough medicine for your trip + a little extra.

Make sure you have all the prophylactic and/or acute medicine you need.

And know how to transport it – does it need to be kept at a certain temperature?

2. Emergency Cards

An emergency card can be a quick and effective way for you to let healthcare professionals know that you have a diagnosis of HAE when you arrive at a hospital or care center and the treatment that should be considered.

Have Emergency Cards for the country(s) you plan to visit. The HAEi offers Emergency Cards in more than 37 languages.

3. Doctors Letter

Have a Doctor’s Letter explaining your medicine and treatment for border crossings and medical professionals.

4. Emergency Plan 

Having an effective emergency plan in place is crucial, even more so if you’re in a new city or country where you don’t speak the language. Important details to include in an emergency plan are an explanation of Hereditary Angioedema, symptoms, your treatment plan, like medicine and dosage, and HAE specialists’ contact information. Ideally, you can work with your physician to create this plan.

5. Know where to find a hospital with HAE physicians and how to reach the local patient organization

Map out where the nearest hospital or the closest HAE specialists is and how you’d communicate about an acute event. If you’re planning on staying in one place longer, reach out to the nearest hospital and work together to create a treatment plan in case of an acute event in the future.

You can also reach out to local patient organizations before your trip to get advice on how things work in the country of your visit.