Health Encyclopedia

Porphyrins - urine

Definition

Porphyrins help form many important substances in the body including hemoglobin, a part of red blood cells that carries oxygen in the blood.

Porphyrins can be found in urine. A urine porphyrins test can be done to tell how many porphyrins you have in your urine.

Alternative Names

Uroporphyrin

How the test is performed

A 24-hour urine sample is needed.

On day 1, urinate into the toilet when waking up in the morning.
For the next 24 hours, every time you urinate, collect the urine in a special container. Keep it in the refrigerator or a cool place during the collection period.
On day 2, urinate into the container in the morning when waking up. Close the container, and label it with your name, date, and time you finished.
Return the container to your health care provider as instructed.

In infants:

Thoroughly wash the area around the urethra (the area where urine exits). Open the urine collection bag provided by your doctor. For boys, place the entire penis in the bag and attach it to the surrounding skin. For girls, place the bag over the labia.

You can diaper the baby as usual, over the collection bag.

Note: It may take a few tries to get the bag correctly into place. Check the infant frequently and change the bag after the infant has urinated. Drain the urine into the special container provided by your health care provider. Take the container to the laboratory or your health care provider as soon as possible.

How to prepare for the test

Extra collection bags may be necessary if the urine sample is being taken from an infant.

Your doctor may tell you to stop taking any medicines that may affect the test results. NEVER stop taking any medicine without first talking to your doctor.

Drugs that can affect test measurements include:

Aminosalicylic acid
Birth control pills
Barbiturates
Chloral hydrate
Chlorpropamide
Ethyl alcohol
Griseofulvin
Morphine
Phenazopyridine
Procaine
Sulfonamides

How the test will feel

The test will feel the same as normal urination.

Why the test is performed

Your doctor will order this test if you have signs of porphyria or other disorders that can cause abnormal urine porphyrins.

Normal Values

Normal results vary. In general, for a 24-hour urine test, the range is about 50 - 300 mg (milligrams).

What abnormal results mean

Abnormal results may be due to:

Liver cancer
Hepatitis
Lead poisoning
Porphyria (several types)

References

Hoffman R, Benz Jr. EJ, Shattil SJ, et al., eds. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Churchill Livingston; 2005:505.

McPherson RA and Pincus MR. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 21st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2007:408-9.

Review Date:3/8/2007
Reviewed By:Mark Levin, MD, Hematologist and Oncologist, Newark, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

ADAM Quality A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) and this website do not claim the information on, or referred to by, this site is error free. This site may include links to websites of other government agencies or private groups. Our Agency and this website do not control such sites and are not responsible for their content. Reference to or links to any other group, product, service, or information does not mean our Agency or this website approves of that group, product, service, or information.

Additionally, while health information provided through this website may be a valuable resource for the public, it is not designed to offer medical advice. Talk with your doctor about medical care questions you may have.