Case 1 was a 7-year-old girl; Case 2 was her 3-year-old younger brother. Both children developed pink urine shortly after birth and exhibited blistering on photo-exposed areas (face and hands), followed by ulceration, crusting, scarring, and joint contractures leading to impaired mobility. Genetic testing in both patients identified a homozygous variant in the UROS gene, c.776T>C (p.Leu259Pro), confirming autosomal recessive congenital erythropoietic porphyria due to UROS mutations. This case report highlights that congenital erythropoietic porphyria should be considered in infants and young children with unexplained hemolytic anemia, pink urine, and severe photosensitive dermatitis. Early genetic testing is recommended to facilitate timely intervention and improve outcomes.
Humans ; Porphyria, Erythropoietic/genetics* ; Female ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Male ; Siblings ; Mutation ; Uroporphyrinogen III Synthetase/genetics*

PURPOSE: Congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP) is a rare disorder inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, which is characterized by almost complete reduction of uroporphyrinogen III synthase (UROS) activity. The authors of the present study report a case of congenital erythropoietic porphyria with severe ocular involvement. CASE SUMMARY: A 27-year-old male patient diagnosed with congenital erythropoietic porphyria was referred to our clinic with a history of ocular pain, and foreign body sensation in both eyes. Visual acuity was light perception in both eyes. Severe scarring of eyelids, corneal leukoma with neovascularization, total limbal deficiency and scleromalacia were observed in both eyes. Identification of the uroporphyrinogen III synthase (UROS) gene mutation revealed the patient had a compound heterozygote mutation at p.Q249X (c.745C>T) and p.L237P (c.710T>C) in exon 10. CONCLUSIONS: CEP is clinically characterized by severe cutaneous photosensitivity, hemolytic anemia and porphyriuria. In addition to these manifestations, the authors report a severe ocular involvement in a patient with CEP who had a compound heterozygote mutation at p.Q249X (c.745C>T) and p.L237P (c.710T>C) in exon 10.
Adult ; Anemia, Hemolytic ; Cicatrix ; Corneal Opacity ; Ectropion ; Exons ; Eye ; Eyelids ; Foreign Bodies ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Light ; Male ; Porphyria, Erythropoietic ; Sensation ; Uroporphyrinogen III Synthetase ; Visual Acuity