Lack of Effect of Oral Charcoal in Congenital Erythropoietic Porphyria

Abstract

To the Editor: Congenital erythropoietic porphyria is a rare autosomal recessive disorder with progressive photomutilation and hemolysis due to excessive porphyrin production. Published studies have shown that oral treatment with activated charcoal to absorb intraluminal porphyrins in the intestine was effective in reducing the porphyrin concentration and clinical symptoms in three patients1–3. Efficacy over a prolonged period was reported in one patient1. A 44-year-old patient with clinically and biochemically confirmed congenital erythropoietic porphyria was treated with two different brands of charcoal emulsion for a total of 32 days. One brand had been used with success in a . . .