Author Archives: Margarida Maia PhD

Nerve Pain After Liver Transplant Suggests Need for Earlier Surgery

A young woman with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) experienced neuropathic pain — a type of pain caused by nerve damage — after receiving a liver transplant, according to a report from investigators in Brazil. For the first five months following the procedure, the woman experienced no symptoms, but then…

Women on Preventive Heme Arginate Have Fewer Acute Attacks

Women with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) receiving once-weekly preventive treatment with heme arginate — given as an intravenous or into-the-vein infusion — had fewer and less severe attacks, a small study found. Indeed, these AIP patients saw a reduction in acute attacks by more than 80% with the use…

‘Pink’ Urine Under UV Light Cued AHP in Pregnant Woman

A young pregnant woman was diagnosed with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) after her urine was found to glow pink under ultraviolet (UV) light, as described in a recent case report. The woman’s symptoms were general, which often makes an early diagnosis difficult. A “simple method like urine examination under ultraviolet…

Muscle Weakness Tied to Poor Mitochondria Function

Poorly working mitochondria — small energy-producing cell compartments — may drive muscle weakness or wasting in a new mouse model of porphyria, a study suggests. “In some cases, muscle atrophy [is] present in porphyria; however, the underlying mechanism is still unknown,” its authors wrote. These findings may therefore provide…