The treatment of erythropoietic protoporphyria. Experience with beta-carotene

In a group of 19 subjects suffering from erythropoietic protoporphyria the administration of beta-carotene appeared to produce improvement based on a subjective assessment of alterations in exposure times required to produce the symptoms and signs of the condition. This clinical improvement however failed to show a direct correlation with the prophyrin levels in blood and faeces, or with the estimation by phototesting of the minimal response dose within the action spectrum of 400-600 nm.