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Porphyria cutanea tarda — a case report of severe course of disease in a female with alcohol addiction
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Abstract
Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) belongs to the group of diseases with an increased incidence in the population of alcohol addicted people. Ethanol consumption has an influence on porphiryn metabolism which leads to disturbance in regulation of heme synthesis enzymes as well as direct damage of hepatocytes. Porphyria is a disease which involves disturbance of hepatic heme synthesis enzymes. In the course of the PCT, porphyrines are accumulated in the skin and excreted with urine. The skin lesions occur during porphyrin disintegration caused by UV light. The clinical presentation of PCT is non-inflammatory blisters, occasionally accompanied by hemorrhage and eschar. Chronic skin damage may result in scarring and changes in pigmentation at the sites of blisters and milia. Other clinical symptoms include: arthritic pain of upper and lower extremities, dizziness, tinnitus, abdominal pain and sudden death. We present extremely severe case of PCT in female, which was induced by sun exposure, hormone replacement therapy and alcohol intake.
Abstract
Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) belongs to the group of diseases with an increased incidence in the population of alcohol addicted people. Ethanol consumption has an influence on porphiryn metabolism which leads to disturbance in regulation of heme synthesis enzymes as well as direct damage of hepatocytes. Porphyria is a disease which involves disturbance of hepatic heme synthesis enzymes. In the course of the PCT, porphyrines are accumulated in the skin and excreted with urine. The skin lesions occur during porphyrin disintegration caused by UV light. The clinical presentation of PCT is non-inflammatory blisters, occasionally accompanied by hemorrhage and eschar. Chronic skin damage may result in scarring and changes in pigmentation at the sites of blisters and milia. Other clinical symptoms include: arthritic pain of upper and lower extremities, dizziness, tinnitus, abdominal pain and sudden death. We present extremely severe case of PCT in female, which was induced by sun exposure, hormone replacement therapy and alcohol intake.
Keywords
alcohol, PCT, porphyria cutanea tarda, hormonal replacement therapy
About this articleTitle
Porphyria cutanea tarda — a case report of severe course of disease in a female with alcohol addiction
Journal
Issue
Article type
Case report
Pages
90-94
Published online
2016-09-15
Page views
9466
Article views/downloads
5018
Bibliographic record
Forum Dermatologicum 2016;2(2):90-94.
Keywords
alcohol
PCT
porphyria cutanea tarda
hormonal replacement therapy
Authors
Dorota Maria Mehrholz
Paulina Flis
Andriy Petranyuk
Małgorzata Sokołowska-Wojdyło
Roman Nowicki
Wioletta Barańska-Rybak
