Atypical attack of acute intermittent porphyria--paresis but no abdominal pain

The Management of Motor Neuropathy With Plasmapheresis in a Patient With Acute Porphyria: A Case Report

Acute porphyria results from a deficiency of enzymes crucial for the heme synthesis process. This deficiency leads to elevated levels of intermediates, resulting in the characteristic symptoms of porphyrias such as abdominal and limb pain, neuropsychiatric issues, and sensitivity to light. In this report, we present the case of a 15-year-old male who experienced deteriorating motor neuropathy and recurrent bouts of abdominal pain. Numerous investigations were conducted, eventually leading to a diagnosis of acute porphyria. Despite attempts with hemin and glucose therapy, his motor neuropathy did not improve. However, significant progress was observed following plasmapheresis sessions. This case emphasizes the importance of considering acute porphyrias as a potential cause when managing patients with acute abdominal problems. By fostering a collaborative approach involving hematologists, physicians, neurologists, and surgeons, timely diagnosis and effective management of this condition can be achieved.

Pain in acute hepatic porphyrias: Updates on pathophysiology and management

Acute hepatic porphyrias (AHPs) typically present with recurrent acute attacks of severe abdominal pain and acute autonomic dysfunction. While chronic symptoms were historically overlooked in the literature, recent studies have reported increased prevalence of chronic, mainly neuropathic, pain between the attacks. Here we characterize acute and chronic pain as prominent manifestations of the AHPs and discuss their pathophysiology and updated management. In addition to the severe abdominal pain, patients could experience low back pain, limb pain, and headache during acute attacks. Chronic pain between the attacks is typically neuropathic and reported mainly by patients who undergo recurrent attacks. While the acute abdominal pain during attacks is likely mediated by autonomic neuropathy, chronic pain likely represents delayed recovery of the acute neuropathy with ongoing small fiber neuropathy in addition to peripheral and/or central sensitization. δ-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) plays a major role in acute and chronic pain via its neurotoxic effect, especially where the blood-nerve barrier is less restrictive or absent i.e., the autonomic ganglia, nerve roots, and free nerve endings. For earlier diagnosis, we recommend testing a spot urine porphobilinogen (PBG) analysis in any patient with recurrent severe acute abdominal pain with no obvious explanation, especially if associated with neuropathic pain, hyponatremia, autonomic dysfunction, or encephalopathy. Of note, it is mandatory to exclude AHPs in any acute painful neuropathy. Between the attacks, diagnostic testing for AHPs should be considered for patients with a past medical history of acute/subacute neuropathy, frequent emergency room visits with abdominal pain, and behavioral changes. Pain during the attacks should be treated with opiates combined with hemin infusions. Symptomatic treatment of chronic pain should start with gabapentinoids and certain antidepressants before opiates. Givosiran reduces levels of ALA and PBG and likely has long-term benefits for chronic pain, especially if started early during the course of the disease.

Acute Hepatic Porphyrias: "Purple Flags"-Clinical Features That Should Prompt Specific Diagnostic Testing

BACKGROUND

Porphyrias are a group of rare diseases leading to dysregulation in heme biosynthesis and the accumulation of heme precursors, including porphyrinogens, which in their oxidized states [porphyrins] are reddish or purple. Acute hepatic porphyrias (AHP) comprise four diseases that cause acute debilitating neurovisceral attacks. Despite diagnostic advances, AHP is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed due to a lack of disease awareness, low clinical suspicion, variable presentation, and nonspecific symptoms that mimic more common diseases. Delays in diagnosis and treatment increase the risk of serious acute and chronic complications.

METHODS

In order to assess whether symptoms alone or in combination might be utilized as important indicators or "purple flags" that, when present, should alert clinicians to suspect AHP and pursue specific diagnostic testing, we conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on AHP, including cohort studies and case reports over two epochs, from 1980 to 2006 and from 2012 to 2018.

RESULTS

We found that severe abdominal pain, with or without acute central nervous system manifestations and peripheral neuropathy, continues to be the most frequent symptom. Hyponatremia, change in urine color, and certain chronic symptoms were also identified as features that should raise suspicion of AHP. To improve diagnosis of AHP, clinicians need to take a broad perspective, including demographic data and medical history, into consideration.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical features of AHP continue to be severe pain, especially pain in the abdomen. Other features that should raise suspicion are autonomic, peripheral, or central neuropathies, hyponatremia, and red-purple urine color.

Acute porphyrias - A neurological perspective

Acute hepatic porphyrias (AHP) can cause severe neurological symptoms involving the central, autonomic, and peripheral nervous system. Due to their relative rarity and their chameleon-like presentation, delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis are common. AHPs are genetically inherited disorders that result from heme biosynthesis enzyme deficiencies and comprise four forms: acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), variegate porphyria (VP), hereditary coproporphyria (HCP), and ALA-dehydratase porphyria (ALADP). Depending on the clinical presentation, the main differential diagnoses are Guillain-Barré syndrome and autoimmune encephalitis. Red flags that could raise the suspicion of acute porphyria are neurological symptoms starting after severe (abdominal) pain, in association with reddish urine, hyponatremia or photodermatitis, and the presence of encephalopathy and/or axonal neuropathy. We highlight the diagnostic difficulties by presenting three cases from our neurological intensive care unit and give a comprehensive overview about the diagnostic findings in imaging, electrophysiology, and neuropathology.

Porphyric neuropathy

Acute hepatic porphyrias are inherited metabolic disorders that may present with polyneuropathy, which if not diagnosed early can lead to quadriparesis, respiratory weakness, and death. Porphyric neuropathy is an acute to subacute motor predominant axonal neuropathy with a predilection for the upper extremities and usually preceded by a predominantly parasympathetic autonomic neuropathy. The rapid progression and associated dysautonomia mimic Guillain-Barré syndrome but are distinguished by the absence of cerebrospinal fluid albuminocytologic dissociation, progression beyond 4 wk, and associated abdominal pain. Spot urine test to assess the porphyrin precursors delta-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen can provide a timely diagnosis during an acute attack. Timely treatment with intravenous heme, carbohydrate loading, and avoidance of porphyrinogenic medications can prevent further neurological morbidity and mortality.

Clinical, Biochemical Characteristics and Hospital Outcome of Acute Intermittent Porphyria Patients: A Descriptive Study from North India

INTRODUCTION

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an inherited metabolic disease characterized by disordered heme biosynthesis. There is no recent study reported from India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

It was a retrospective, observational study. Clinical records of patients of AIP with acute porphyric attacks admitted from April 2008 to December 2016 were analyzed.

RESULTS

Fifteen AIP patients constituted of eight females and seven males were analyzed. Mean age at presentation was 34.33 ± 15.86 years. Thirteen patients (86.67%) had acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). All of them had peripheral neuropathy. These patients concomitantly had abdominal pain, seizure, encephalopathy, autonomic hyperactivity, history of passage of dark urine, and electrolyte abnormality (hyponatremia) in various combinations. Abdominal pain was the presenting symptom in 11 (73.33%) patients. Seven (46.67%) patients had seizure episodes. Five patients (33.33%) had hyponatremia at presentation. Significantly higher percentage of them had seizure at presentation or during hospital stay (P = 0.007). These patients also had evidence of autonomic hyperactivity in the form of higher pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure at presentation. They had prolonged duration of hospital stay as well (P = 0.016). Eleven patients had partial recovery and rest four patients (26.67%) had in-hospital mortality.

CONCLUSION

Patients had severe neurological involvement manifesting mainly as AFP and seizure episodes. We recommend screening for AIP in patients presenting with features of AFP along with any combination of clinical/laboratory manifestations such as abdominal pain, seizure, encephalopathy, autonomic hyperactivity, passage of dark urine, and hyponatremia. Electrolyte abnormality in the form of hyponatremia was an important severity marker.

Acute intermittent porphyria symptoms during the menstrual cycle

BACKGROUND

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), a life-threatening form of the disease, is accompanied by several pain, mental and physical symptoms.

AIMS

In this study, we evaluated the cyclicity of AIP and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms in 32 women with DNA-diagnosed AIP during their menstrual cycles, in northern Sweden.

METHODS

The cyclicity of AIP symptoms and differences in them between the follicular and luteal phases, and the cyclicity of each symptom in each individual woman in different phases of her menstrual cycle were analysed with a prospective daily rating questionnaire. PMS symptoms were also evaluated in the patients on a daily rating scale.

RESULTS

Of the 32 women, 30 showed significant cyclicity in at least one AIP or PMS symptom (P < 0.05-0.001). Back pain (10/32) was the most frequent AIP pain symptom and sweet craving (10/15) was the most frequent PMS symptom. Pelvic pain (F = 4.823, P = 0.036), irritability (F = 7.399, P = 0.011), cheerfulness (F = 5.563, P = 0.025), sexual desire (F = 8.298, P = 0.007), friendliness (F = 6.157, P = 0.019), breast tenderness (F = 21.888, P = 0.000) and abdominal swelling (F = 16.982, P = 0.000) showed significant cyclicity. Pelvic pain and abdominal swelling (rs = 0.337, P < 0.001) showed the strongest correlation. The age of women with latent AIP was strongly correlated with abdominal swelling during the luteal phase (rs = 0.493, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the symptoms of AIP patients change during their menstrual cycles.

Severe neurologic manifestations in acute intermittent porphyria developed after spine surgery under general anesthesia: a case report

Porphyrias are inherited metabolic disorders resulting from a specific enzyme defect in the heme biosynthetic pathway. Porphyrias are induced by various precipitants. Clinical features include abdominal pain, neurologic manifestations, autonomic neuropathy, and mental disturbance. Diagnosis may be delayed because of variable symptoms that mimic other diseases and because of the rarity of of porphyrias. Although most patients with known porphyria can complete anesthesia and surgery safely, undiagnosed porphyric patients are in danger of porphyric crisis due to inadvertent exposure to precipitating drugs and environment. We report a case of a patient who experienced delayed emergence with neurological disturbance after general anesthesia, ultimately diagnosed as acute intermittent porphyria.

[Acute intermittent porphyria and inappropriate ADH syndrome]

A 44-year-old woman complained of abdominal pain of 4 days' duration accompanied by vomiting and painful urination. The admitting physician noted neurologic signs consistent with axonal polyneuropathy and hyponatremia. In the absence of other explanations for the syndrome, SIADH was diagnosed. Because of the nonspecific nature of the observations, the patient was assessed by various specialists and admitted to the anesthetic recovery unit due to worsening of neurologic signs and suspicion of acute intermittent porphyria. The diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory findings of elevated d-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen levels and normal stool porphyrins. The patient improved with intravenous hematin infused over 4 days.

An analysis of 112 acute porphyric attacks in Cape Town, South Africa: Evidence that acute intermittent porphyria and variegate porphyria differ in susceptibility and severity

Four forms of porphyria may present clinically with the acute attack, an episodic, severe, and potentially life-threatening manifestation characterized by abdominal and neurologic symptoms. We describe our experience with 112 consecutive attacks observed and treated in 25 patients with the 2 most common forms of acute porphyria in Cape Town, South Africa; 25 attacks in 10 patients with variegate porphyria and 87 attacks in 14 patients with acute intermittent porphyria. The remaining patient experienced more than 100 sequential, severe, and poorly remitting attacks, which are not included in our analysis. In our population, the relative risk of an acute attack in acute intermittent porphyria compared with that in variegate porphyria was 14.3 (confidence intervals, 6.3-32.7). Patients with variegate porphyria were significantly older (median age at first attack, 30 yr) than those with acute intermittent porphyria (median age at first attack, 23.5 yr; p < 0.0001), and demonstrated an equal sex ratio, whereas the male:female ratio in acute intermittent porphyria was 2:12 (p < 0.0001). There was a significant difference in the incidence of factors precipitating the acute attack. Drug exposure was a frequent precipitant of the acute attack in variegate porphyria, whereas hormonal factors were more important in acute intermittent porphyria (p < 0.00001). Patients with acute intermittent porphyria also showed a trend to earlier and more frequent recurrent acute attacks following the initial admission. Mean urine precursor levels, blood pressure, pulse rate, and heme arginate requirement were all significantly higher in patients with acute intermittent porphyria. No significant difference in the frequency of serious complications or in outcome could be shown. We describe our experience with treatment with heme arginate, and provide evidence that heme arginate results in a prompt and statistically significant improvement in symptoms. The incidence of serious complications and mortality in this series was low, confirming a trend to an increasingly good prognosis for patients with acute porphyria who receive expert treatment.