title: Alcohol and Indian porphyrics.
abstract: The role of alcohol as the precipitating factor in the induction of acute attacks of acute intermittent porphyria was studied in an Indian population. Thirty-four teetotal patients with acute intermittent porphyria, in remission, were given 60 ml of 30% ethanol. Except for two patients, all had negative Watson-Schwartz tests prior to the alcohol. Within 24 hours, the Watson-Schwartz test became positive in 16 of these 32 patients (50%). In 8 out of the 34 patients (23.5%) a clinical attack was precipitated, including both patients who had a positive Watson-Schwartz test prior to the alcohol. It was concluded that alcohol does precipitate an acute attack in a significant percentage of patients of Indian origin with acute intermittent porphyria. Patients already excreting porphobilinogen are at a greater risk of developing an acute attack on alcohol ingestion. This study is the first from India and probably first of its kind to be reported from any country.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, S.P. Medical College, Rajasthan, India.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Saksena
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Panwar
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rajvanshi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabir
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suri
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D011164:Porphyrias / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol