A Case of Recurrent Acute Abdomen in a Young Lady Masquerading as Somatoform Disorder

Abstract

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is a rare autosomal dominant hereditary metabolic disorder having protean manifestations. It usually presents with short duration of gastrointestinal symptoms followed by rapidly progressive fulminant neurological syndrome. It is a neurological emergency and mimics many other psychiatric and medical disorders and can be fatal if it remains undiagnosed and untreated. Further, specific treatment in the form of Heme arginate is not universally available and very costly, so high clinical suspicion and early diagnosis and management of acute attack and prevention of further attacks are very important. Here, we report a 23 years old married female nurse presenting with recurrent acute abdomen requiring frequent hospital admissions along with convulsion during her last attack. The presence of porphyrins in urine confirms the diagnosis of AIP.