Faecal porphyrin excretion in various types of porphyria. Thin layer chromatographic study.

A new method of thin layer chromatography was used for the study of faecal porphyrins in 31 porphyric patients (20 cases of porphyria cutanea tarda, 5 cases of porphyria variegata, 2 cases of hereditary coproporphyria, 1 case of acute intermittent porphyria and 3 cases of erythropoietic protoporphyria), 14 of their clinically normal relatives and 5 controls. The pattern obtained was characteristic of each type of porphyria and compared to previously published data.