Is porphyria a mental illness?
Is porphyria a mental illness?
Porphyria is important in psychiatry as it may present with only psychiatric symptoms; it may masquerade as a psychosis and the patient may be treated as a schizophrenic person for years; the only manifestation may be histrionic personality disorder which may not receive much attention.
What is variegate porphyria?
Variegate porphyria is a rare genetic metabolic disorder characterized by deficient function of the enzyme protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO or PPOX).
What are the symptoms of acute intermittent porphyria?
Acute porphyrias
- Severe abdominal pain.
- Pain in your chest, legs or back.
- Constipation or diarrhea.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Muscle pain, tingling, numbness, weakness or paralysis.
- Red or brown urine.
- Mental changes, such as anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, disorientation or paranoia.
- Breathing problems.
What is the cause of intermittent porphyria?
Most of these triggers are believed to stimulate increased heme production (synthesis) in the liver and include certain drugs, excessive alcohol consumption, fasting or dieting (e.g. caloric restriction), stress, infections or certain hormonal (endocrine) factors, often in combination.
What foods should be avoided with porphyria?
People with porphyria are advised to maintain a diet with an average or higher-than-average intake of carbohydrates, which can lessen disease activity—but they are also advised to avoid refined sugars, corn syrup and heavily processed foods.
Is porphyria a blood disease?
Porphyrias are a group of rare inherited blood disorders. People with these disorders have problems making a substance called heme in their bodies. Heme is made of body chemicals called porphyrin, which are bound to iron. Heme is a component of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.
Where is porphyria most common?
Description. Porphyria is a group of disorders caused by abnormalities in the chemical steps that lead to heme production. Heme is a vital molecule for all of the body’s organs, although it is most abundant in the blood, bone marrow, and liver.
What does porphyria pain feel like?
Pain symptoms Severe abdominal pain is the most common symptom of acute porphyrias. Pain in other parts of the body, such as the chest, legs, or back, also may occur. Patients with acute porphyrias may experience muscle pain, sometimes accompanied by tingling, numbness, weakness, or paralysis.
What organs are affected by porphyria?
Porphyria cutanea tarda can damage the liver and increase the chance of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer. Some people with protoporphyria also develop liver damage and cirrhosis, and up to 5 percent of people with protoporphyria develop liver failure.
How long do people with porphyria live?
Patients with porphyria generally have a normal life expectancy. However, those with acute hepatic porphyria are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), which may reduce their lifespan.
What part of the body does porphyria affect?
Porphyria occurs when the body cannot convert compounds called ‘porphyrins’ into heme. While all tissues have heme, those that use it the most are the red blood cells, liver and bone marrow. Porphyria can affect the skin, nervous system and gastrointestinal system. More women than men are affected by porphyria.
