Vampires Among Us Reality in Fiction By: Blaque Smith
Dec 13, 2015
Porphyria Then…What where their symptoms?
• Sensitivities and other physical ailments.
• Flesh is eaten away.
• Aggression/Mental.
Sensitivities and Other Physical Ailments
• Sensitivities to sun light
• Garlic
• Chest and abdominal pains
What Happened to Those Infected?
• Medical attention
• Religion and its leaders
• Living their lives
How Their Lives Became Lore
• Disfigurement
• Light sensitivities
• Garlic
• Blood remedies
• Religious relics
Porphyria Now…Today, scientists have discovered different strains of the
virus.
• Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP)
• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT)
• Congenital Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (CEP)
What is Porphyria?
• Porpheryins cause changes in heme.
• Heme is turned into a toxic substance
• Heme carries oxygen and removed carbon dioxide.
Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP)
• When do symptoms appear?
• What are the symptoms?
• What are the treatments?
Symptoms
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Nausea and vomiting
• Heart arrhythmia
• Seizures
• Hallucinations• Depression
When do symptoms occur?
• Symptoms generally occur after puberty.
• Attacks can last days, even weeks.
Treatments
• Heme intravenously.• Hematin• Heme albumin• Heme arginate
• Glucose intravenously• Drugs to control symptoms
• Pain• Nausea• Anxiety• Insomnia
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT)
• When do symptoms appear?
• What are the symptoms?
• What are the treatments?
-Most common form-
Symptoms
• Blisters• Skin thickens
• Sun sensitivity
• Skin heals slowly
• Skin can become fragile
• Skin is susceptible to infection
Treatments
• Blood removal• Low doses of antimalarial drugs
• Chloroquine• Hydroxychloroquine
• Radiology imaging
Congenital Erythropoietic
Protoporphyria (CEP)
• When do symptoms appear?
• What are the symptoms?
• What are the treatments?
-Extremely rare-
Symptoms
• Sun sensitivity
• Reddish urine
• Excess hair growth
• Reddish-brown teeth• Hemolytic anemia
• Skin becomes fragile
• Blisters
Treatments
• Oral beta-carotene
• Oral charcoal
• Aids porphyrin excretion from stool
• Blood transfusions
• Splenectomy-removal of splene
• Bone marrow transplants
Conclusion
• Through a historical disease folk lore was created.
• Fear gripped those who didn’t understand.
• Better understanding of the disease today.
BibliographyKoppy, Lawrence. (March 2013) “The Vampire Disease” http://suite101.com/article/the-vampire-disease-a163962Wood, Debra. (2013) “Porphyria” Lifescript; Healthy Living for Women http://www.lifescript.com/health/a-z/conditions_a-z/conditions/p/porphyria.aspx?trans=1&du=1 Elizabeth Bathory (2013) www.elizabethbathory.com Elizabeth Bathory: The Blood Countess www.elizabethbathory.netIMDb www.imdb.com National Human Genome Research Institute www.genome.gove/19016728 Vampire Facts www.vampirefacts.netVlad the Impaler (2009) www.vladtheimpaler.com