Pyroluria

Pyrrole Disorder

Omega 3s can worsen mental symptoms in bipolar or schizophrenic patients.... if they have a pyrrole disorder. This phenotype is dramatically short of arachidonic acid & giving omega 3 oils aggravates the situation since omega 3 and omega 6 EFA's are in competition for delta 5,6 desaturases. We use red blood cell membrane analysis for EFA's if we suspect this problem. Pyroluric mental patients will usually get worse if given fish oils, DHA, EPA, etc. They thrive on Primrose Oil, a good source of AA and other omega 6s. (June 23, 2003)

Most persons with pyroluria respond very quickly to the B-6, Zn, C, E therapy..... Major improvements are often seen by the 2nd day, and almost always by the end of the first week. The exceptions are: (1) persons with severe mental illness (schizophrenia or bipolar), (2) persons with other significant chemical imbalances, and (3) patients with a major malabsorptive condition. When pyroluria is diagnosed along with another chemical imbalance, I like to track a patient during the first 6-8 weeks to determine which is the dominant imbalance. If major improvement occurs immediately, it's because pyroluria has been corrected. Some patients report a nice early improvement followed by a plateau, and then another advance. Schizophrenic and bipolar pyrolurics usually report some progress after a few weeks, but it may take 3-6 months to get to steady state. The biggest problem with the Kp analysis is getting a proper sample to the lab. The kryptopyrrole molecule is unstable and will disappear rapidly at room temperature or if exposed to bright light. The urine sample must be placed in a freezer immediately after acquisition. Kp can be lost in the freezer if the temperature isn't well below 32 degrees F. We've also learned that exposure to bright light results in breakdown of the Kp molecule. Finally, the sample must be maintained in a frozen condition during shipment. I would greatly suspect any Kp value below 3.0. Usually this means the sample didn't get to the lab in proper condition. With respect to reference levels: We consider a healthy level to be between 4-8 mcg/dL. We consider persons between 10 and 20 to have mild pyroluria, and a good response to treatment is usually reported. Persons exhibiting 20 to 50 mcg/dL have moderate pyroluria, which can be a devastating condition. Persons above 50 mcg/dL have severe pyroluria. Longitudinal testing of pyrolurics has shown that major variations can occur during a day. For example, Arthur Shawcross (famous NY serial killer) had levels ranging from 35 to 203, with higher levels observed during stressful periods in prison. However, he always tested as pyroluric in multiple tests. Stresses, illnesses, injury, etc can be expected to elevate Kp levels. Medical history and review of symptoms are vital to this diagnosis. The major challenge in differential diagnosis of pyroluria is the similarity in symptoms between pyroluria and overmethylation (low blood histamine). Another problem is that symptoms of pyroluria are greatly muted in undermethylated, obsessive/compulsive persons. These persons may be high achievers, with great internal tension..... Persons with pyroluria alone tend to underachieve, partly because of a poor short term memory and associated reading problems. (Nov 10, 2003)

We've obtained hair Zn and plasma Zn levels (simultaneously) about 40,000 times. Low hair zinc correlates beautifully with low plasma levels. However, very elevated Zn in hair nearly always means Zn deficiency and loss plasma Zn levels. Most of the time this involves a Pyrrole disorder which results in very high Zn excretion in urine (and hair). In a healthy person without metal-metabolism problem, only about 4 percent of excreted Zn leaves through the kidneys. [28 Nov 03] Symptoms of pyroluria include (1) stunting of growth, (2) unpleasant body odor, (3) delayed puberty, and (4) skin stretch marks. This family's symptoms are certainly consistent with pyroluria. Pyroluria definitely runs in families. We have a mother in Kane County, IL who has 15 children & all of them tested pyroluric. The mother had a Kp level of over 150 herself