Porphyria is a group of disorders caused by the accumulation of porphyrin and porphyrin precursors due to the abnormalities in certain enzymes that normally participate in the production of haem. We report a case of a woman with severe menstruation-related abdominal pain, hyponatraemia, and psychiatric symptoms. Excessive porphobilinogen was found in her urine. A new mutation in intron 2 (IVS2-2Ag→G), which had never previously been reported in patients with porphyria or in healthy Chinese population, was identified in the heterozygous state in the patient and her mother.
Keywords: Acute intermittent porphyria, Porphobilinogen deaminase, Gene mutation, Menstruation.