PCT likely trigger of hereditary condition marked by iron overload

A 77-year-old man with porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT), the most common form of porphyria, was diagnosed with adult-onset hereditary hemochromatosis, a condition marked by iron overload that can be associated with PCT. He was successfully treated with antibiotic skin creams and regular therapeutic blood letting (phlebotomy) to remove excess…

Regular Blood Removal Eased CEP Symptoms, Case Report Shows

A woman with the rarest type of porphyria, called congenital erythropoietic porphyria or CEP, was successfully treated by regular blood removal — a procedure called phlebotomy — which lowered her blood iron levels, reduced urinary porphyrins, and eliminated sun-sensitive skin blisters, a case study showed. …