Get to know Porphyria, a disease that makes someone afraid of sunlight like a vampire

Contents:

Medical Video: The vampire people (disease) Porphyria - All you have to know plus patient cases

The figure of a vampire who is often portrayed as a creature of night fangs and blood thirst is nothing more than mere fiction. But did you know that there is a real disease that makes a person look and behave like a vampire - pale skin like a living corpse and avoid the sun as much as possible. Otherwise, the skin burns as a result of severe blisters. In medical terms, this vampire disease is called porphyria aka xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). One in 1 million people in the world are reported to have this condition.

What is porphyria?

Porphyria is a group of symptoms that arise when the heme formation process does not work perfectly. Heme is an important part of hemoglobin, which is the oxygen delivery protein and iron binding in the blood.

Under normal conditions, heme formation requires a series of chemical processes involving many types of enzymes. If one of the enzymes needed is less, then this process will be disrupted so that there is an imbalance of blood-forming enzymes due to the accumulation of chemical compounds called porphyrin. This porphyrin buildup will cause symptoms and is called porphyria.

Experts call porphyria a rare genetic disorder that is generally inherited and not contagious.

What causes this disease?

Porphyria is specifically caused by enzyme mutations that repair nucleotide excision. When functioning normally, this enzyme will correct damaged skin DNA due to UV radiation. Mutations cause this enzyme to fail so that DNA damage becomes permanent and accumulates.

Reporting from the Mayo Clinic, besides being caused by a genetic disorder, this disease is also triggered by several factors, including:

  • Sun exposure
  • Certain drugs, including hormonal drugs
  • Smoke
  • Being on a diet or fasting
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Use of illegal drugs
  • Stressful

What are the symptoms?

This disease can attack the nervous system or the skin, or it can be both, depending on the type. The symptoms of each type of disease vary greatly for each person depending on the severity. Some people are even known to not cause any symptoms.

Symptoms of acute porphyria

Acute porphyria generally attacks the nervous system which can be life-threatening if it does not immediately get medical help. Symptoms of this type of disease can take place in a matter of days to weeks and generally will improve slowly.

Signs and symptoms of acute porphyria include:

  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Pain in the chest, legs or back
  • Often tingling and numbness
  • Limp or paralysis
  • Constipation or diarrhea
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Urine is reddish or brown in color
  • Blood pressure increases
  • The heart beats fast and irregularly (palpitations)
  • Seizures
  • Mental problems related to anxiety, absent-mindedness, and hallucinations

Symptoms of skin porphyria

This type of porphyria attacks skin tissue, generally triggered due to excessive sensitivity to sunlight. Even some people are also sensitive to artificial light, for example room lights.Because of this, this type of disease often presents the following symptoms:

  • The skin is red and blistered on the exposed part.
  • Sudden sudden pain and swelling.
  • Thin skin that is easily damaged and takes a long time to heal.
  • The sensation of burning or feeling sore on the skin, even if exposed to light.
  • Darker-colored and hairy skin in certain areas, for example on blister scars.
  • Irritated red eyes, and blurred vision due to UV exposure.

Symptoms usually appear at an early age, which is marked by blistering and burning of the skin after only a few minutes of exposure to the sun. Face and skin that is exposed to sunlight for a while will quickly dry out and reveal reddish spots.

The only way to prevent the symptoms of this disease from appearing is to protect the body as well as possible from sun exposure.

Get to know Porphyria, a disease that makes someone afraid of sunlight like a vampire
Rated 4/5 based on 2538 reviews
💖 show ads