Porphyrins

... Why get tested?
To help diagnose and sometimes to monitor porphyrias (a group of inherited disorders involving disturbance in the metabolism of heme, a component of hemoglobin)

When to get tested?
If a patient has symptoms that suggest an acute neurologic/psychiatric porphyria (such as abdominal pain, tingling in hands or feet, and/or confusion or hallucinations) or a cutaneous porphyria (such as reddening, blistering, or scarring on sun-exposed skin)

Sample required?
A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm, a random or 24-hour urine sample, and/or a stool sample
...

A porphyrin is a heterocyclic macrocycle made from 4 pyrrole subunits linke ...