Acute intermittent porphyria

There are other types of porphyrias that have the same symptoms of acute intermittent porphyria. It is sometimes impossible to tell which type of porphyria a person has based on their symptoms alone. These other porphyrias are: hereditary coproporphyria, variegate porphyria, and ALAD deficiency porphyria. Lead poisoning can also have similar symptoms to acute intermittent porphyria. However, lead poisoning causes a decrease in the number of blood cells (anemia), which is not seen in acute intermittent porphyria. The red color of the urine sometimes seen in acute intermittent porphyria attacks can also be due to blood in the urine, eating red beets, eating foods with certain additives, and some drugs.