Why Porphyria Can't be the Vampire Disease

Do you know why porphyria can't be the vampire disease? The reason porphyria can't be the vampire disease is because there's no basis for it being considered a vampire disease, other than a myth and a very rare side effect.  Instead, it is a legitimate medical condition that has nothing to do with vampires at all.

Porphyria is often referred to as “The Vampire Disease” because of the symptoms associated with the most rare form of the condition. Porphyria is a condition which effects the ability of the blood to process and carry oxygen to the muscles and the rest of the body.

Due to the way this rare form of porphyria affects the body, the symptoms that may accompany the type of porphyria classified as congenital erythropoietic porphyria, often have been compared to the actions, habits, and bodily attributes of many characteristics associated with vampirism.

The reason this can’t be true, however, is because this specific type of the condition is reported to be the symptom of the condition in its absolute rarest form, and is not contagious through any means.

Vampires are said to be able to multiply in species through the transfer of saliva and blood, where a bite from a vampire can turn someone into a member of the species.  Porphyria doesn't do this. The condition of Porphyria also doesn’t make sufferers “crave blood”, as is the main affliction in cases of vampirism.   There is- therefore- no actual link between porphyria and vampires and porphyria can't be the vampire disease.

Other Symptoms of Porphyria

Some of the other reasons that porphyria have been considered in diagnosing cases of vampirism are the tendency to make the individual who suffers from the condition extremely sensitive to light, especially natural sunlight. This symptom will sometimes force a person who suffers from the condition to shy away from the outdoors, another assumption often associated with that of the vampire’s nature. 

Other symptoms of the many different types of porphyria that exist are related to the levels of different elements in the stool and urine, often turning them red or reddish brown in hue, along with the teeth. Some patients that have been diagnosed with the condition have also been recorded to have excessive body hair and discolored finger nails, which is why even before the association with vampires was made, porphyria was linked to the legend of the werewolf. 

However, none of this makes porphyria a vampire disease, as there's no evidence that porphyria leads to vampirism.

Origin of the Link Between Porphyria and Vampires

The link between vampirism and porphyria was first noted in a scientific document in 1985 by a chemist named David Dolphin. The document stated simply that the symptoms of the condition may possibly be the first explanation as to where the legend of the vampire was originated, due to the long standing history of the legend and the lack of knowledge at that time of the condition.

The end result was a media sensation, which overstated the findings of the document and led the public to believe that the condition was the scientific explanation for vampires, coining the term, “The Vampire Disease.”