Porphyria
is an inherited blood disorder that causes the body to produce less heme — a critical component of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues. It seems likely that this disorder is the origin of the vampire myth.
What disease did Dracula have?
Porphyria
is an incurable genetic disease, the symptoms of which align perfectly with those ascribed to vampires.
What is porphyria vampire disease?
Overview. Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is a
type of porphyria or blood disorder that affects the skin
. PCT is one of the most common types of porphyria. It’s sometimes referred to colloquially as vampire disease. That’s because people with this condition often experience symptoms following exposure to sunlight.
How does porphyria affect the body?
During an attack, you may experience
dehydration, breathing problems, seizures and high blood pressure
. Episodes often require hospitalization for treatment. Long-term complications with recurrent acute attacks may include chronic pain, chronic kidney failure and liver damage.
What does a porphyria attack feel like?
The most commonly reported debilitating symptoms are
diffuse severe pain affecting the abdomen, back, or limbs
; other common attack signs and symptoms include nausea and vomiting, constipation, hypertension, motor weakness, insomnia, or anxiety [1–3, 5].
Who was the first vampire?
The first vampire started out as not a vampire at all, but as
a human man named Ambrogio
. He was an Italian-born adventurer who fate brought to Delphi, in Greece. You can read the full story here, but in a nutshell a series of blessings and curses transformed this young man into history’s first vampire.
How do humans turn into vampires?
A person may become a vampire in a variety of ways, the most common of which is
to be bitten by a vampire
. Other methods include sorcery, committing suicide, contagion, or having a cat jump over a person’s corpse.
Is porphyria a mental illness?
Porphyria is important in psychiatry as it
may present with only psychiatric symptoms
; it may masquerade as a psychosis and the patient may be treated as a schizophrenic person for years; the only manifestation may be histrionic personality disorder which may not receive much attention.
How do you recognize a vampire?
Spotting a vampire
According to vampire folklore, vampires display some tell-tale physical signs of their affliction:
pale skin
, an absence of a reflection in mirrors, fangs and red glowing eyes. These attributes are commonly assigned to the blood-sucking undead in popular culture.
Is porphyria a disability?
People who are trying to win benefits for porphyria need to meet certain criteria in the Social Security Blue Book, which outlines the disability benefits for a wide variety of conditions. People with cutaneous porphyria can gain benefits under
Skin Disorders
or Genetic Photosensitive Disorders.
What is the life expectancy of someone with porphyria?
Patients with porphyria generally have
a normal life expectancy
. However, those with acute hepatic porphyria are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), which may reduce their lifespan.
What triggers porphyria?
Porphyria can be triggered by drugs (
barbiturates, tranquilizers, birth control pills, sedatives
), chemicals, fasting, smoking, drinking alcohol, infections, emotional and physical stress, menstrual hormones, and exposure to the sun. Attacks of porphyria can develop over hours or days and last for days or weeks.
How is porphyria treated today?
Acute porphyrias
Treatment may include:
Injections of hemin
, a medication that is a form of heme, to limit the body’s production of porphyrins. Intravenous sugar (glucose), or sugar taken by mouth, if able, to maintain an adequate intake of carbohydrates.
When should you suspect porphyria?
Therefore, it is currently recommended that patients undergo screening by liver imaging for early detection
at least yearly after age 50
, especially if porphobilinogen (PBG) remains elevated.
Is there a test for porphyria?
To diagnose porphyrias, laboratories
measure porphyrins and their precursors in urine, blood, and/or stool
. Testing may include measurement of one or more of the following: Porphobilinogen (PBG), a porphyrin precursor, in urine. Delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), another porphyrin precursor, in urine.
Does drinking blood help porphyria?
Interestingly, the heme pigment is robust enough to survive digestion, and is absorbed from the intestine (even though the protein parts of hemoglobin are broken down). This means that, in principle,
it is possible to relieve the symptoms of porphyria
by drinking blood–another possible link with the vampire stories.
