Boy’s congenital erythropoietic porphyria diagnosis takes years

A boy’s long medical odyssey, which eventually led to a diagnosis of congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP) but left the child with long-term disabilities, demonstrates the need for timely recognition of this rare form of porphyria, per a report from India. “This case report illustrates the complex and challenging journey…

Newborn diagnosed with rare case of ALAD porphyria: Report

A newborn boy with low muscle tone, and breathing and feeding problems during his first days of life was diagnosed with delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) deficiency porphyria after undergoing whole genome sequencing, according to a recent report. This was the third reported case of infantile-onset ALAD deficiency porphyria, an…

hCG diet triggers symptoms of AIP, leading to diagnosis in woman, 34

The so-called hCG diet for weight loss, which combines a low-calorie diet with injections of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), aggravated acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) in a 34-year-old woman, according to a recent case study. This diet involves receiving hCG, a naturally produced pregnancy hormone that’s approved…

Iron infusion triggers EPP attack in young British man

An iron infusion for persistently low levels of hemoglobin, or the iron-containing protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells, triggered a sudden attack of erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) in a 28-year-old British man. Managing the disease required avoiding triggers as well as receiving ongoing care to prevent future flares…

Certain brain conditions may be symptoms of AIP in rare cases

A recent case report highlights how acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) should be considered early in the process of diagnosis when patients show certain brain symptoms and heart problems. The brain conditions documented are posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), which is marked by swelling in parts of the brain, and…

Premenstrual pain, brain swelling leads to AIP diagnosis: Case report

A woman with premenstrual pain and a brain condition called posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) was eventually diagnosed with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), as described in a recent case report. “In patients with AIP and PRES, seizures are probably the most noticeable nervous system dysfunction during acute attacks,” the…

Woman’s eventual AIP diagnosis complicated by repeat seizures

A 20-year-old Chinese woman experiencing bouts of abdominal pain and seizures eventually was diagnosed with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), the most common form of acute porphyrias, after a series of tests. Her case highlights that “it is essential to consider acute intermittent porphyria diagnosis in patients having unexplained severe…

CEP in boy with repeat nosebleeds treated by removing his spleen

Surgical removal of the spleen effectively eased the signs and symptoms of severe congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP) in a 10-year-old boy with recurrent nose bleeds, according to a recent case report. “Our patient’s repeated [nose bleeds] is a rare and unreported clinical manifestation of this illness,” the scientists wrote.