What are porphyrias?

Prophyrias are a group of disorders of enzymes involved with making heme, which is part of haemoglobin (the red coloured pigment that carries oxygen in the blood). However, the problems are not caused by a lack of haemoglobin (as there are other chemical pathways to make that) but a build up of waste products called porphyrins. They are dealt with in much more detail in another article.

There are two types of porphyrias: acute porphyrias and cutaneous porphyrias. Photosensitivity is a feature of cutaneous porphyrias.

Photosensitivity Guide Index:



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