What is the Porphyrins test?
Porphyrins are a group of compounds defined by their chemical structure. These compounds are by-products of heme synthesis and are normally present at low levels in blood and other body fluids. Porphyrin tests measure porphyrins and their precursors in urine, blood, and/or stool.
Heme is an iron-containing pigment that is a component of hemoglobin and a number of other proteins. It consists of an organic portion (protoporphyrin) bound to an iron atom. The synthesis of heme is a step-by-step process that requires the sequential action of eight different enzymes. If there is a deficiency in one of these enzymes, the process is impeded and intermediate porphyrins such as uroporphyrin, coproporphyrin, and protoporphyrin build up in the body’s fluids and tissues. The precursors that accumulate depend on which enzyme is deficient, and they can exert toxic effects.
Function of Porphyrin tests:
Porphyrin tests are used to help diagnose and monitor a group of disorders called porphyrias. There are seven types of porphyria, and each one is associated with a different enzyme deficiency. Most porphyrias are inherited, the result of a gene change (variant). Porphyrias may be classified according to the signs and symptoms of the disease as neurological, cutaneous, or both.
The porphyrias that cause neurological symptoms present with acute attacks lasting days or weeks. Signs and symptoms during the attack include abdominal pain, constipation, confusion, hallucinations, and/or seizures.
There are four neurologic porphyrias:
- acute intermittent porphyria (AIP),
- variegate porphyria (VP),
- hereditary coproporphyria (HCP),
- and the very rare ALA dehydratase deficiency porphyria (ADP).
Some cases of VP and HCP may also have skin-related symptoms.
The cutaneous porphyrias are associated with photosensitivity that causes redness, swelling, a burning sensation, blistering, skin thickening, hyperpigmentation, and/or scarring.
There are three cutaneous porphyrias:
- porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT),
- erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP),
- and congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP).
Experts have not yet reached agreement on whether all porphyrias are inherited. Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) may result from genetic or environmental factors such as exposure to certain chemicals or significant liver damage. This type of PCT is termed “acquired” or “sporadic.” In people with acquired PCT, the disorder usually develops after age 30 and onset in childhood is rare.
To diagnose porphyrias, laboratories measure porphyrins and their precursors in urine, blood, and/or stool. Testing may include measurement of one or more of the following:
- Porphobilinogen (PBG), a porphyrin precursor, in urine
- Delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), another porphyrin precursor, in urine
- Porphyrins (uroporphyrin, coproporphyrin, and protoporphyrin) in urine, blood, or stool
What does it mean if your Uroporphyrin III result is too high?
The following table summarizes the patterns of results that are typical for each type of porphyria:
|
Disease |
Uro |
Hepta |
Hexa |
Penta |
Copro I |
Copro III |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
+ = increased; ++ = strongly increased; n = normal; v = varies. |
||||||
|
Values from: Doss M. Porphyrinstoffwechsel. In: Greiling H, Gressner AM (Hrsg). Lehrbuch der Klinischen Chemie und Pathobiochemie. Dritte Auflage. Stuttgart, Germany: Schattauer Verlag. |
||||||
|
Values marked with * and ** respectively, are derived from: |
||||||
|
*Hindmarsh JT, Oliveras L, Greenway DC. Biochemical differentiation of the porphyrias. Clin Biochem. 1999 Nov; 32(8):609-619. |
||||||
|
**Elder GH, Smith SG, Smyth SJ. Laboratory investigation of the porphyrias. Ann Clin Biochem. 1990 Sep; 27(Pt 5):395-412. |
||||||
|
Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) |
++ |
++ |
+ |
+ |
+* |
+* |
|
Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) |
++ |
+ |
+ |
++ |
+* |
++* |
|
Porphyria variegata (VP) |
++ |
+ |
+ |
++ |
+* |
++* |
|
Hereditary coproporphyria (CP) |
+ |
+ |
+ |
++ |
n* |
++* |
|
Protoporphyria |
v |
n |
n |
v |
+* |
v |
|
Morbus Gunther |
++ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
++** |
|
|
Porphobilinogen synthase deficiency |
+ |
+ |
+ |
++ |
++ |
|
All Your Lab Results.
One Simple Dashboard.
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results Easily
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results
Import lab results from multiple providers, track changes over time, customize your reference ranges, and get clear explanations for each result. Everything is stored securely, exportable in one organized file, and shareable with your doctor—or anyone you choose.
Cancel or upgrade anytime
Laboratories
Bring All Your Lab Results Together — In One Place
We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.
Pricing Table
Gather Your Lab History — and Finally Make Sense of It
Finally, Your Lab Results Organized and Clear
Personal plans
$79/ year
Advanced Plan
Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 5 reports entered for you
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
$250/ once
Unlimited Account
Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 10 reports entered for you
- No subscriptions. No extra fees.
$45/ month
Pro Monthly
Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track lab results for multiple clients
- Customize reference ranges per client
- Export lab histories and reports
- Begin with first report entered by us
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
About membership
What's included in a Healthmatters membership
Import Lab Results from Any Source
See Your Health Timeline
Understand What Your Results Mean
Visualize Your Results
Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Securely Share With Anyone You Trust
Let Your Lab Results Tell the Full Story
Once your results are in one place, see the bigger picture — track trends over time, compare data side by side, export your full history, and share securely with anyone you trust.
Bring all your results together to compare, track progress, export your history, and share securely.
What Healthmatters Members Are Saying
Frequently asked questions
Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
- Individuals who want to track and understand their health over time.
- Health professionals, such as doctors, nutritionists, and wellness coaches, need to manage and interpret lab data for their clients.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
- Upload lab reports from any lab
- View your data in interactive graphs, tables, and timelines
- Track trends and monitor changes over time
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export and share your full lab history
- Access your results anytime, from any device
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 10000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
- The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
- GI-MAP,
- The NutrEval FMV®,
- The ION Profile,
- Amino Acids Profile,
- Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
- Organic Acids Test,
- Organix Comprehensive Profile,
- Toxic Metals,
- Complete Blood Count (CBC),
- Metabolic panel,
- Thyroid panel,
- Lipid Panel,
- Urinalysis,
- And many, many more.
You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.
If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.