Image of the Week: Coral-colored urine under Wood's lamp

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Case Study:
Explanation:

This patient presented with photosensitivity and a history of drug and alcohol use. When placed under a Wood’s lamp, a urine sample demonstrated coral-colored fluorescence.

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This patient has porphyria cutanea tarda, the most common of the porphyrias. It is a rare metabolic disorder that causes an accumulation of porphyrins. Porphyrins in the skin cause photosensitivity, and porphyrins in the urine oxidize, causing fluorescence under a...

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This patient has porphyria cutanea tarda, the most common of the porphyrias. It is a rare metabolic disorder that causes an accumulation of porphyrins. Porphyrins in the skin cause photosensitivity, and porphyrins in the urine oxidize, causing fluorescence under a Wood’s lamp.

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