Porphyria: The Vampire Disease

According to MayoClinic, "Porphyria (poor-FEAR-ee-uh) refers to a group of disorders that result in a buildup of chemicals called porphyrins in your body. Although porphyrins are normal body chemicals, it's not normal for them to build up. The cause is usually an inherited mutation."


This disease has often been associated with living vampires. As we know vampires are a myth for the most part, however this disease has such distinctive symptoms that people believe they are in fact vampires. The disease typically affects the nervous system and skin. The cause is from a lack of heme which is mainly found in red blood cells.

Some of the symptoms are typical flu symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Problems arise with the hallucinations. Some of the hallucinations have been linked with vampire like behavior. Patients begin to feel the need to drink blood since they lack the heme in their own blood, however this leads to more severe complications mainly in the liver and kidneys. Our blood contains iron and drinking blood leads to iron toxicity which eventually shuts down the kidneys and liver.

Porphyria is a genetic disease that is passed down through generations. There have been some that have aquired the disease from environmental factors but for the most part the disease is genetic.

Treatment generally includes fluids and IV medications to combat the symptoms.

To see someone with this disease is to look at the face of death. They do look like vampires and its because of this that this disease is often called the "Vampire Disease"

This is the only known medical reason why someone would have this condition. There are people that claim they are vampires and practice drinking blood, wear fake teeth or have them filed to points, and only come out at night while practicing this gothic lifestyle. These people are not really vampires but because we have such an extensive history with this mythic creation, many try to make it a reality. The only reality is, is that it is extremely dangerous to drink blood for the reasons listed above.