The effect of personal variables
Stepwise Hierarchical Regression analysis was employed to assess the contribution of health-related personal variables on the association between prodromes and attacks. Methodically, the personal health variables were forcibly introduced first, the prodrome variables second, and thirdly- the interactions between personal and prodrome variables. Using this analysis we found that personal variables (i.e. experience and duration of illness) influences the patients’ perception of the prodrome (β=.44, p< .001). This means that the association among those with the shortest experience in the disease is much noteable than among the experienced patients. In less experienced patients an intense prodrome predicts stronger attack. It should be noted that in our previous survey of 197 HAE patients, a positive association was also found between the intensity of the prodromes and the intensity of the attacks.13