THE USE OF CHELATING AGENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE PORPHYRIA

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Abstract
A patient is reported who had had prolonged exposure to Zn and Pb dust and who developed acute intermittent porphyria (AIP). He was treated with calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetra-acetate (EDTA) on three separate occasions. Each time his clinical course became worse, necessitating discontinuation of EDTA therapy. Because chelating agents can precipitate AIP or make the existing disease worse, we wish to caution against indiscriminate use of chelating agents in the therapy of AIP. In the presence of increased body content of Pb, a chelating agent such as calcium EDTA may have dramatic results on the clinical course of acute porphyria. The clinical usefulness and the mechanism of action of chelating agents in the therapeutic armamentarium of porphyria require further evaluation.