Porphyria, Congenital Erythropoietic / Disease

Diseases & Conditions

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Porphyria, Congenital Erythropoietic

Synonyms of Porphyria, Congenital Erythropoietic

CEP
Congenital Porphyria
Guenther Porphyria
Gunther Disease

Disorder Subdivisions

General Discussion
Congenital Erythropoietic Porphyria (CEP) is extremely rare and is inherited through an autosomal recessive trait. It is also known as Guenther Porphyria. The deficient enzyme is uroporphyrinogen III cosynthase. As is characteristic of the erythropoietic porphyrias, symptoms usually begin during infancy. CEP is manifested by markedly increased levels of porphyrins in bone marrow, red blood cells, plasma, urine and feces. Porphyrins are also deposited in the teeth and bones.

The Porphyrias are a group of at least seven disorders. The common feature in all porphyrias is the excess accumulation in the body of porphyrins or porphyrin precursors. These are natural chemicals that normally do not accumulate in the body. Precisely which one of these porphyrin chemicals builds up depends upon the type of porphyria that a patient has.

Porphyrias can also be classified into two groups: the hepatic and erythropoietic types. Porphyrins and related substances originate in excess amounts from the liver in the hepatic types, and mostly from the bone marrow in the erythropoietic types.

The porphyrias with skin manifestations are sometimes called cutaneous porphyrias. The acute porphyrias are those characterized by sudden attacks of pain and other neurological manifestations. These acute symptoms can be both rapidly-appearing and severe. An individual may be considered in a latent condition if he or she has the characteristic enzyme deficiency, but has never developed symptoms. There can be a wide spectrum of severity between the latent and active cases of any particular type of this disorder. The symptoms and treatments of the different types of porphyrias are not the same.
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Organizations related to Porphyria, Congenital Erythropoietic

American Porphyria Foundation
4900 Woodway
Houston TX 77056
Phone #: 713-266-9617
800 #: --
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.porphyriafoundation.com
CLIMB (Children Living with Inherited Metabolic Diseases)
Climb Building
Crewe Intl CW2 6BG
Phone #: +44- 87-0 7700 325
800 #: --
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.CLIMB.org.uk
Canadian Association for Porphyria
P.O. Box 1206
Manitoba Intl ROJ 1HO
Phone #: (20-4)4-76-2800
800 #: N/A
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.cpf-inc.ca/
MUMS (Mothers United for Moral Support, Inc) National Parent-to-Parent Network
150 Custer Court
Green Bay WI 54301-1243
Phone #: 920-336-5333
800 #: 877-336-5333
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.netnet.net/mums/
NIH/National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
2 Information Way
Bethesda MD 20892-3570
Phone #: 301-654-3810
800 #: 800-891-5389
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.niddk.nih.gov

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ? (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html