What causes elevated porphyrins in urine?
Acquired porphyria may result from iron or lead toxicity, alcohol use, hepatitis C, HIV, and some medicines. Porphyrins and related chemicals are made in your body as part of the process of making heme. Certain types of porphyria cause these chemicals to pass into your urine.
Is it normal to have porphyrins in urine?
Normal Results In general, for a 24-hour urine test of total porphyrins, the range is about 20 to 120 µg/L (25 to 144 nmol/L). Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories.
What is porphyrins in urine?
Porphyrins are natural chemicals in the body that help form many important substances in the body. One of these is hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen in the blood. Porphyrins can be measured in the urine or blood.
Which urine test is used to confirm porphyria in urine sample?
To diagnose porphyrias, laboratories measure porphyrins and their precursors in urine, blood, and/or stool. Testing may include measurement of one or more of the following: Porphobilinogen (PBG), a porphyrin precursor, in urine. Delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), another porphyrin precursor, in urine.
What is normal porphyrin level?
Normal Results Total porphyrin levels: 0 to 1.0 mcg/dL (0 to 15 nmol/L) Coproporphyrin level: <2 mcg/dL (<30 nmol/L) Protoporphyrin level: 16 to 60 mcg/dL (0.28 to 1.07 µmol/L) Uroporphyrin level: <2 mcg/dL (<2.4 nmol/L)
What is a porphyrins lab test?
Porphyrin tests measure the level of porphyrins in your blood, urine, or stool. Porphyrins are chemicals that help make hemoglobin, a type of protein in your red blood cells. Hemoglobin carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.
How can I lower my porphyrins?
Cutaneous porphyrias
- Periodically drawing blood (phlebotomy) to reduce the iron in your body, which decreases porphyrins.
- Taking a drug used to treat malaria — hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) or, less often, chloroquine (Aralen) — to absorb excess porphyrins and help your body get rid of them more quickly than usual.
What is the hemin test?
A presumptive test for blood in which a small amount of acetone (propenal) is added to the bloodstain, followed by a drop of hydrochloric acid. Haemoglobin produces derivatives such as haematin and haemin, forming small characteristic crystals that can be identified under a microscope.
What is the difference between heme and hemin?
Heme and hemin are porphyrin protein molecules. The key difference between heme and hemin is that heme contains ferrous ion, whereas hemin contains ferric ion. Furthermore, hemin molecules contain chloride atoms in the chemical structure, whereas heme does not contain chloride atoms.
When to use porphyrins, quantitative, random urine?
Refer to Porphobilinogen (PBG), Quantitative, Random Urine [003053]. For initial evaluation of porphyrias. Use Porphyrins, Quantitative, 24-Hour Urine [003194] to follow up random urine abnormal results. See Porphyrins, Quantitative, 24-Hour Urine [003194].
Why do you need to test your urine for porphyria?
Urine porphyrins are useful for the evaluation of cutaneous photosensitivity to exclude porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT). Evaluation of neurologic and/or psychiatric symptoms associated with acute porphyrias, such as acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), requires urine porphobilinogen (PBG) testing.
Is there a link between porphyrin and coproporphyrinuria?
Ann Clin Biochem. 1990 Sep; 27 (Pt 5):395-412. Increased urine porphyrin excretion may be secondary to other diseases (eg, hepatobiliary diseases), especially coproporphyrin excretion. These are secondary porphyrinurias.
How are porphyrins used to test for PCT?
Stored specimen not refrigerated; specimen exposed to light; acid preservative; pH <3 Urine porphyrins are useful for the evaluation of cutaneous photosensitivity to exclude porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT).
