Porphyria cutanea tarda with menopausal exacerbation: the possible role of menstruation as natural phlebotomy.
We describe a 48-year-old woman with a 12-year history of porphyria cutanea tarda who showed a remarkable exacerbation of her eruptions accompanied by high serum levels of iron and ferritin at menopause. As iron storage is known to be a triggering factor of porphyria cutanea tarda, the possible role of menstruation as natural phlebotomy to prevent porphyria cutanea tarda exacerbation is discussed.
Nishioka
Eri
E
Department of Dermatology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Japan.
Funasaka
Yoko
Y
Bito
Toshinori
T
Ito
Akira
A
Tani
Masahiro
M
Kawara
Akira
A
Yoon
Seitetsu
S
Kondo
Masao
M
Ichihashi
Masamitsu
M
D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008593:Menopause; D008598:Menstruation / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010507:Periodicity; D018962:Phlebotomy; D017119:Porphyria Cutanea Tarda / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron