[Acute intermittent porphyria: a clinical case]

Abstract

The acute intermittent porphyria is a rare but very interesting disease from the surgical and anaesthesiological point of view. On the basis of recently observed case the Authors review clinical and pathophysiological data of this entity simulating a variety of acute abdominal conditions and involving important problems from the anaesthesiological and pharmacological point of view. As a matter of fact, the administration of some drugs can provoke a crisis that often involves serious complications (coma), sometimes lethal (respiratory paralysis). However, when a patient needs a surgical treatment for different reasons, the awareness of this condition enables to plan an anaesthesiological management free of risks.