Rare disease may have fuelled vampires myth
Scientists reveal plight of sufferers in ancient times
A RARE blood disorder may have given rise to the myth of vampires, according to scientists.
Researchers have found genetic variations of porphyria which they believe may have led to folklore about blood-sucking creatures of the night.
Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is the most common kind of porphyria. It appears in childhood and causes the skin to be very sensitive to light.
Dr Barry Paw, from the Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Centre in Massachusetts, said: “People with EPP are chronically anaemic, which makes them feel very tired and look very pale with increased photosensitivity because they can’t come out in the daylight.
“Even on a cloudy day, there’s enough ultraviolet light to cause blistering and disfigurement of the exposed body parts.”
Ways to alleviate the symptoms include staying indoors during the day and having regular blood transfusions.
Paw added: “In ancient times, the drinking of animal blood and emerging only at night may have achieved a similar effect, adding fuel to the legend of vampires.”
The researchers performed gene sequencing on members of a family from northern France with EPP and discovered a mutation which triggers the disorder.
But they added many cases of EPP remain unexplained.
Paw believes identifying the various gene mutations that contribute to porphyria might pave the way for future therapies that could correct the faulty genes responsible for the blood disorder.
He said: “Although vampires aren’t real, there is a real need for innovative therapies to improve the lives of people with porphyria.”
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science journal.