The British Porphyria Association (BPA) organised an International Patient Day which was held on Thursday 14 April 2011. The day ran from 0900 to 1530 and was held at The ATRiuM in Cardiff.
The patient day included clinical presentations from doctors, patient experience presentations from some of the BPA committee members and presentations from other international patient groups. Talks were informative and enjoyable and provided families with insight into the types of porphyria and the management of the different conditions. In addition, during the breaks, the different BPA committee members were available to discuss their experiences of how the different conditions have affected them.
This day followed an international Porphyrins and Porphyrias conference held every two years, when porphyria experts from around the world get together. The previous one was in Stockholm in 2009. In 2013, it is hoped the conference will be held in Switzerland.