Therapy of acute, chronic and mixed hepatic porphyria patients with chelating agents

Abstract

Symptoms of porphyria are thought to be due to a Zn, Cu, or other cation block of several metallo-ensyme sys-tems. Exhaustion of certain portions of the body''s natural chelation defenses and subsequent depletion of porphyrins for purposes of chela-tion may likewise impoverish the metabolism of the body and affect the maintenance of myelin and the cytochrome systems that interrelate to a "porphyrin pool." Artificial chelation is felt to replenish the de-pleted chelation reserves of the body, thus restoring more normal metabolism. Chelation therapy with 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) seemed helpful in 31 of 37 patients. The porphyric-schizophrenic, who shares the same meta-bolic error is also helped by chelation. Complete recovery from tetra-plegia due to porphyric motor neuropathy does occur but may take as long as a year.