Porphyria cutanea tarda with menopausal exacerbation: the possible role of menstruation as natural phlebotomy.

Nishioka, Eri; Funasaka, Yoko; Bito, Toshinori; Ito, Akira; Tani, Masahiro; Kawara, Akira; Yoon, Seitetsu; Kondo, Masao et al. · J Am Acad Dermatol · 2003

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

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.

Medical subject headings