United Porphyrias Association

The porphyrias are a group of rare, genetic disorders. ach type of porphyria is caused by a defect in a specific enzyme in the heme biosynthetic pathway. Without these enzymes working properly, the body is not able to finish making heme and it causes a buildup of other compounds, called porphyrins. Types of porphyrias include acute hepatic porphyrias and cutaneous porphyrias.