PROTOCOL OUTLINE: All patients are evaluated for porphyria type and factors contributing to the clinical expression of their particular form of the disease. Testing includes erythrocyte porphobilinogen deaminase, erythrocyte protoporphyrin, plasma porphyrins, and urinary and fecal porphyrins and precursors.
Selected patients are entered into other porphyrin research protocols in this and other institutions, including analysis of DNA to identify specific mutations in genes for heme biosynthetic pathway enzymes.
