Does porphyria cause diabetes?

It would seem that the metabolic defect of porphyria may actually result in the development of diabetes mellitus due to the disturbance of iron and pyrrole metabolism. Our patient is another example of diabetes mellitus developing after the onset of porphyria cutanea tarda.

Which is the most common porphyria?

The most common type of cutaneous porphyria—and the most common type of porphyria overall—is porphyria cutanea tarda, which affects about 5 to 10 out of every 100,000 people. The most common type of porphyria in children is a cutaneous porphyria called erythropoietic protoporphyria.

What happens when you have porphyria?

During an attack, you may experience dehydration, breathing problems, seizures and high blood pressure. Episodes often require hospitalization for treatment. Long-term complications with recurrent acute attacks may include chronic pain, chronic kidney failure and liver damage.

Why is glucose given in porphyria?

Glucose can diminish excess excretion of heme precursors, which, in turn, can prevent an attack or can hasten recovery from an attack of the acute porphyrias. Therefore, it is suggested that when patients cannot consume carbohydrates due to nausea or vomiting, glucose should be administered intravenously.

Why is porphyria treated with glucose?

The treatment goal for acute attacks of porphyria is to decrease heme synthesis and reduce the production of porphyrin precursors. High doses of glucose can inhibit heme synthesis and are useful for treatment of mild attacks.

Does porphyria affect the kidney?

Acute intermittent porphyria causes kidney injury, whereas medical situations associated with end-stage renal disease, such as porphyrin accumulation, iron overload and hepatitis C, participate in the inhibition of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase and predispose the individual to porphyria cutanea tarda.

How is porphyria diagnosed?

Diagnosis and Tests If doctors suspect you have porphyria, blood and urine tests screen for porphyrins and other porphyrin precursors. Feces (stool) tests may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Doctors also diagnose porphyria using genetic testing of a blood sample. This type of test is very accurate.