Porphyria: Case Report

Abstract

It is reported the case of a 22-year-old woman with acute intermittent abdominal pain accompanied by tachycardia, sweating, arterial hypertension, difficulty in walking, and muscular pains because of neuropathy. After multiple studies, there is a suspicion of porphyria when observing the change of urine color after being exposed to light for hours and the diagnosis is confirmed by auxiliary exams, such as porphobilinogen in urine. It is suggested that this acute attack of acute intermittent porphyria was due to the recent use of estrogens as a contraceptive method. Such pathology is uncommon, so its diagnosis is difficult.