What's UP Doc - Confusion during acute attacks

What's UP Doc? Is a monthly column where we feature a patient question along with a response from a member of the UPA Scientific Advisory Board.

Do you have a question you would like to ask a Porphyria Expert?  Send us an email at info@porphyria.org. We’d love to hear from you!

I have Variegate Porphyria – why am I confused during an attack?

This week our response was provided by Dr. Karl Anderson, Porphyria Expert at UTMB.

Confusion, and other symptoms, are all part of the neurological symptoms of acute hepatic porphyrias. We don’t really know the mechanism.

To learn more about participating in research so we can better understand the symptoms of an acute attack, please contact the UPA. We will connect you with a Porphyria Center.