[Metabolism of porphyrins in patients with hepatic cirrhosis].

The article analyses the results of the study of porphyrins metabolism in 53 patients with chronic hepatic diffuse diseases at the stage of hepatic cirrhosis (HC). HC of viral etiology was diagnosed in 16 patients, and HC of ethanol etiology--in 9 patients. As many as 11 patients were diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and 10 patients--with idiopathic hemochromatosis (IHC). As many as 3 patients with manifested late skin porphyria developed secondary hemochromatosis, and 4 patients have manifested late skin porphyria with HC. Nonspecific disorders of porphyrins metabolism were revealed in 14 patients suffering from viral HC, 7 patients with ethanol HC, 9 ones with PBC and 8 suffering from IHC. Altogether 38 patients (82.6%) of the entire group of examined patients had pathological abnormalities. Porphyrins metabolism disorders manifested various combinations of biochemical features. Increased values of all porphyrin fractions in urine and faces were the most common characteristics (15 patients) as well as secondary coproporphyrinuria (15 patients). Symptoms of the growth of porphyrins in faces was less frequent (8 patients). Porphyrins metabolism disorders were assessed as a negative factor as the accumulation of the excessive amount of porphyrins in hepatocytes results in a rapid progress of hepatocellular deficiency. The dynamic assessment of porphyrins metabolism values is considered to be an important prognostic criterion for HC. The tested reduction of the porphyrin level can be a sign of hepatic deficiency with a serious prognosis.