Hematin treatment of acute porphyria. Early remission of an almost fatal relapse
A. Peterson, I. Bossenmaier, R. Cardinal and C. J. Watson
Intravenous infusions of hematin in a young woman with acute porphyria in
profound relapse was followed within 48 hours by remission of symptoms and
rapid recovery. From a state of severe central and peripheral
nervous-system involvement, the patient recovered so completely that she
was able to leave the hospital in less than a month, with only a residual
weakness of her arms. Serial studies of serum and urinary levles of
porphyrin precursors and serum level of hematin provided highly important
information about the effect of hematin on acute porphyria.
