[Treatment of porphyria cutanea tarda with chloroquine and its effect on associated liver disease: retrospective analysis].
BACKGROUND
Chloroquine may improve cutaneous symptoms and liver disease manifestations in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda.


OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively analyze the effects of choloroquine in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda.


METHODS
Five patients (one female), aged 45 to 65 years old, were studied. The duration of the disease ranged from 2 to 15 years. One patient was alcoholic and other was a hepatitis C virus carrier. All patients received chloroquine 125 mg twice weekly. Before, during and after treatment, cutaneous signs, serum bilirubin, hepatic enzymes and urine copro and uroporphyrin were assessed. Four patients were subjected to a liver biopsy before starting chloroquine.


RESULTS
All patients had increased levels of urine porphyrins, four had abnormal serum liver enzymes. All liver biopsies showed variable hemosiderosis, two patients had a chronic active hepatitis (one with cirrhosis), one a chronic persistent hepatitis and one had mild rague alterations. During chloroquine treatment, cutaneous symptoms improved in all patients, transaminases and gamma glutamyl transferase decreased. In three, urine uroporphyrin increased initially and normalized afterwards. Choloroquine was well tolerated.


CONCLUSIONS
Chloroquine improved cutaneous symptoms, urine uroporphyrin and serum liver enzyme levels in treated patients.
Wolff
C
C
Departamento de Medicina Occidente, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Hospital San Juan de Dios, Santiago de Chile.
Armas
R
R
Krause
P
P
Parraguez
A
A
Ramón Soto
J
J
D000368:Aged; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017119:Porphyria Cutanea Tarda / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000652:urine; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D002738:Chloroquine