DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a concerned grandmother writing about my 11-year-old granddaughter. She was diagnosed with porphyria at the age of 2. Her hands and feet start hurting so badly that she has to put them in cold bath water for about an hour. She says it feels like needles running though her. She usually has a fan on her. Her hands also get very hard and cracked. Her nose is starting to scar from all the scratching because it itches. Lotion seems to evaporate. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

DEAR READER: Porphyria refers to a group of disorders that ca...

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