Considering Rare Causes of Acute Abdominal Pain: A Diagnostic Challenge

Target Audience

This program is primarily intended for gastroenterologists, emergency medicine specialists, primary care practitioners and other clinicians who may see patients with abdominal symptoms related to porphyria.

Goal

The goal of this activity is to improve the competence of learners in considering rare causes of acute abdominal pain and to perform appropriate diagnostic tests in a timely manner to establish the correct diagnosis

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Recognize the most common neurovisceral signs and symptoms of porphyria and how these can be overlooked or confused with other conditions
Identify the recommended laboratory tests that can help establish a diagnosis of porphyria
Describe the role of genetic testing that can pinpoint the type of porphyria