[Alcohol and its effect on porphyrin metabolism]

Urinary and fecal levels of porphyrins were measured spectrophotometrically for 388 patients. 66 of them suffered from melanodermic skin lesions without hepatic affection, 95 had chronic hepatic diseases and 227 exhibited porphyria cutanea tarda. The results were considered in relation to the lesion and alcohol habits. Alcohol proved to provoke manifestations of porphyrin disbolism. High protoporphyrin fecal concentrations serve early indications of alcohol-induced damage to the liver. Alcohol abuse results in persistent disorders of porphyrin metabolism in subjects with chronic active hepatitis and hepatic cirrhosis. In established clinical and biochemical syndrome of porphyria cutanea tarda alcohol contributes to further progression of fermentopathy specific for relevant porphyria.