This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Environmental causes of PCT

Authoring team

Certain drugs and chemicals have been identified as causing the sporadic or symptomatic form of PCT:

  • alcohol - affects the activity of specific enzymes in the heme pathway
  • oestrogens - mechanism is poorly understood; based on the increased occurrence of PCT in women following the widespread usage of oestrogens as contraceptive agents and in men treated for prostatic carcinoma
  • hexachlorobenzene and other chlorinated phenols
  • iron - mechanism is complex; hepatic iron overload is found in nearly all cases of PCT

Other possible causes include (1):

  • viral infections:
    • hepatitis C virus
    • HIV
  • systemic disorders:
    • SLE
    • lymphoma

http://www.wmic.wales.nhs.uk/pdfs/bulletins/Porphyria%20bulletin%20July%202008.pdfReference:

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2025 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.