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Note: This article was updated to include information from a Hopkins study published on May 5, 2021, of responses after a second vaccine dose was given to transplant patients. Long before COVID-19 changed the world, organ transplant recipients were wearing masks to shield themselves from airborne threats. Immunosuppressive medicines, which often…

Patients with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) and their caregivers face a high disease burden and diminished well-being, a recent U.K. survey has found. These patients also have diverse experiences in severity of attacks, managing symptoms, and accessing appropriate treatment. …

Insulin resistance, a phenomenon in which cells in the body become unable to draw energy from blood sugar, appears to be more common in people with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) than previously thought, according to a recent study. Investigators also noted that experiments performed in a mouse model indicated…

More than half of the people with rare diseases and their caregivers, asked in a survey, were undecided or less than willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if a vaccine was approved under emergency use authorization instead of the routine process, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Disease reports. These findings…

Six months of treatment with Givlaari (givosiran) effectively reduced pain during and between porphyria attacks in people with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP), also known as acute porphyria, according to a post-hoc analysis of data from the Phase 3 ENVISION trial. Givlaari also was found to lower the use of…

Nearly 25% of people, mostly women, with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) also have chronic nerve damage — a condition known as neuropathy — and use high amounts of pain medications, according to an analysis of a U.S. healthcare claims database. Based on these findings, when diagnosing and treating AIP…

The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases is accepting applications for a scholarship program that aims to help adults with a rare disease pursue personal goals through training and education. For a second year, the #RAREis Scholarship Fund — supported by Horizon Therapeutics – will award 35 one-time scholarships, each…

Abdominal pain and nausea in a woman having an acute porphyria attack was initially misdiagnosed as a natural response to the early stages of a pregnancy, a recent case study reported. Her case, its authors noted, highlighted the importance of performing urine screening tests whenever porphyria is suspected,…

Activities are afoot to mark Porphyria Awareness Week — taking place April 10–17 this year — set aside annually to call attention to this group of inherited disorders that affect an estimated 1 in 500 to 1 in 50,000 individuals globally. Supporters are encouraged to engage in Zoom sessions and…

As anyone affected by a rare disease knows, treating the illness while trying to go about everyday life is an expensive undertaking.  But exactly how expensive — in terms of direct and indirect costs across rare disease populations — might still come as a surprise: almost…