Acute Intermittent Porphyria
By Brandi
About AIP
AIP was discovered by Gerardus Johannes Mulder in 1844. People get this disease by a mutation in the heme and it impacts the nervous system. Sometimes people can go without even knowing they have AIP. Usually, AIP needs something to activate its symptoms like a changed diet or drugs.
Who gets AIP?
5 in 100,000 people get this disease and men and women get it equally. There aren't any ethnic groups that specifically receive this disorder.
Signs/Symptoms
Symptoms for this disease may never be present.
- Abdominal Pain
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Pain in the back, arms, and legs
- Muscle weakness
- Urinary Retention
- Palpitation
- Confusion, hallucinations, seizures
Prognosis
Most of the time, AIP is caught early and recovery doesn't take very long. When it is caught late, it can take years for the muscle to recover. Most people recover completley
Treatments
Pain and nausea medication along with IV hydration is given to patients when they first get to the hospital. After they are diagnosed, the patients are given carbohydrates like glucose to help stop the disease. When the carbohydrates aren't enough, Panhematin (a medication helps put more heme in your system).