Acute Intermittent Porphyria In A Young Nigerian Child: A Case Report

Abstract

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is a rare autosomal dominant inherited disorder of heme biosynthesis which manifest with neurovisceral symptoms. Its manifestation in children before the age of puberty is said to be very rare and suggest homozygous state when it does occur before puberty. AIP mimics many other disorders and so may be easily missed leading to delay in appropriate management and poor prognosis. The authors report a case of AIP in a 5 year old boy from Nigeria.

Key words: Acute, intermittent, porphyria, young, child, Nigeria.