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Continued support, counseling, and education are important for patients with acute intermittent porphyria so that they can use that knowledge to avoid disease recurrence, a study says. The findings of the study, “Self-efficacy and self-management strategies in acute intermittent porphyria,” were published in BMC Health Services Research.

A violinist with vasculitis, two Texas politicians and a pharmaceutical company whose marijuana-derived therapy helps kids with Dravet syndrome were among winners of the 2019 Rare Impact Awards. Officials of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) presented the awards during a June 22 dinner attended by…

Europe’s umbrella organization for 800 rare disease associations has developed a sweeping initiative to help the continent’s 30 million rare disease patients and their caregivers learn about their conditions, find assistance and receive treatment. Eurordis-Rare Diseases Europe hopes to improve the current piecemeal treatment and support program with a holistic,…

People with rare diseases know that the right government policies can make a big difference in the quality of their own lives, and those of their caregivers. But most lawmakers aren’t experts in even one well-known disease — let alone the world’s estimated 7,000 rare disorders. So how does the…

Non-invasive bioenergetic tests may be useful biomarkers to assess disease activity in patients with different types of porphyria, a study says. The study, “Feasibility of cellular bioenergetics as a biomarker in porphyria patients,” was published in Molecular Genetics and Metabolism Reports. Porphyrias are a group of genetic…

Patients with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) who suffer from recurrent attacks also experience significant chronic symptoms between attacks, according to results of a new study. The study, “­­Disease Manifestations of Patients with Recurrent Acute Hepatic Porphyria (AHP) and Daily Life Impacts in EXPLORE International, Prospective, Natural History Study,” was…