Woman’s Menstrual Pain Turns Out to be Rare ‘Vampire Disease’

Pain intensified for over four days
Lead to a diagnosis of protoporphyria, a rare disease known as the “Vampire Disease”

A woman experiencing concerning symptoms, including vomiting and severe pain, received a diagnosis of Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP) at the hospital.

According to Sanook on April 8, a woman initially mistook her severe pain for menstrual cramps. As her condition worsened, including experiencing dark vomit, she sought medical attention.

Mistaking her severe pain for menstrual cramps, the woman managed her symptoms with pain medication and limited activity during the assumed menstrual period.

Unlike her usual experience of mild pain for two days at the beginning of her period, this time, the pain was significantly more severe and persisted for four days.

Not only did the pain worsen, but she also developed a fever and became sensitive to the smell of food and sunlight.

She also started vomiting black liquid and developing blisters on her skin, further deteriorating her condition.

When the woman’s blood sodium levels dropped significantly, and she showed abnormal symptoms, the hospital formed a multidisciplinary consultation team.

They made the final diagnosis of protoporphyria, also known as the “vampire disease.”

The EPP diagnosis surprised the woman, who admitted to the doctor she’d never heard of the condition before.

The doctor who made the diagnosis explained, “This disease is a rare disease that only affects one in 50,000 people.”

A rare metabolic disorder, EPP results from the buildup of porphyrins in the body. This occurs because the body lacks or has a reduced amount of a specific enzyme needed to process these molecules properly.

It is reported that there is no special treatment for this disease, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the best prevention.