Heavy alcohol consumption and hereditary hemochromatosis, a genetic disorder characterized by iron overload, are the leading risk factors for porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT), the most common form of porphyria, according to a retrospective 35-year follow-up study conducted in Scotland. Disease remission was more commonly achieved by patients who had…
If you’ve been diagnosed with porphyria — one of a group of disorders characterized by very high levels of porphyrins in the blood and tissues — you may be wondering how the disease affects your lifespan. Several factors affect a person’s lifespan, including genetics, the environment, and one’s…
Genetic variants linked to acute intermittent porphyria vary according to ethnicity, a systematic analysis among eight ethnic populations shows. The finding adds a new layer of knowledge that may help diagnose this rare metabolic disorder and the understanding of its underlying variability. The study, “Systematically…
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