Patterns of porphyrin-excretion in female estrogen-induced porphyria cutanea tarda.

It has been suggested that the urinary profile of porphyrins excreted by female patients with estrogen-induced porphyria cutanea tarda is peculiar in that heptacarboxylic porphyrin equals or exceeds uroporphyrin. The chromatographic pattern of urinary porphyrin excretion was studied in nine females with porphyria cutanea tarda precipitated by estrogens, 129 porphyric males, and nine females, whose porphyria was not hormone-induced. Both female porphyric groups showed absolutely the same urinary chromatographic pattern and looked quite similar to the pattern observed in male patients. None of our female porphyric patients, whether treated with estrogens or not, showed percentage values for the heptacarboxylic porphyrin higher or equal to the uroporphyrin values. Our results do not support the hypothesis that the profile of urinary porphyrin excretion found in estrogen-induced porphyria cutanea tarda is atypical.