Porphyria cutanea tarda, hemodialysis and HCV hepatopathy

Porphyria cutanea tarda is treated with phlebotomies in the absence of renal failure. However, in patients on maintenance hemodialysis, this will lead to the need for high doses of erythropoietin. We describe the case of a 63-year-old hemodialysis patient who had chronic hepatitis C virus and developped porphyria cutanea tarda after iron overload due to repeated transfusions. She was treated with erythropoietin and phlebotomies reaching clinical remission 4 months after begining treatment.