What is pyroluria/pyrrole disorder and does your child have it?
Does your child struggle to focus and learn at school? Do they experience ‘worry tummy’ or anxiety regularly or have anger/temper/frustration outbursts/mood swings or poorly cope with stress? Has their behaviour increasingly gotten worse, at home or at school?
Do they often get sick or are often sensitive to light or sound? D
If you answered yes to some or all of these, then your child could be a contender for a poorly understood condition called Pyroluria/Pyrrole Disorder.
Pyrrole Disorder is a genetic blood disorder that is characterised by the higher need for Zinc and Vitamin B6, due to drastic deficiencies of them PLUS a surplus of Copper. Zinc and Vitamin B6 are essential for digestion, immune function, cognition and emotional health.
This condition results in an overproduction of pyrroles or hydroxyhaemopyrrolin-2-one (HPL) in the blood. HPL is a by-product of haemoglobin synthesis. The HPL binds to important nutrient cofactors, mainly Zinc and B6, that we usually need every day for a multitude of bodily functions, resulting in the body being unable to use them.
In this condition, neurotransmitters like GABA and Serotonin are depleted, resulting in an imbalance with can worsen anxiety or depression symptoms.
Most people have low levels of pyrroles present in their blood with no issue, but, if someone has pyrroles, we will see an elevation in their HPL levels when tested. It’s really common in children with spectrum disorders and depression.
Never heard of it? That’s not surprising. This condition is poorly understood and recognised in the mental health and medical health worlds and most GP’s don’t even know about it, even though 10% of the population will suffer from it. Those children diagnosed with behavioural and/or learning problems will have a higher percentage of being a contender for elevated levels of pyrroles in their system.
A combination of physical, psychological and emotional symptoms are associated with Pyrroles. It’s important to remember that not all that suffer the symptoms will have pyrroles and those that have pyrroles wont exhibit all the symptoms. It’s assessed person by person, encompassing the whole person and looking at all of the symptoms and different age groups can experience symptoms differently.
The most common symptoms I’ll see in clinic are:
white spots on nails
joint pain
anger/violence outbursts
behaviour concerns in general
social anxiety
overwhelm
emotional mood swings
morning nausea
adversion to red meat/proteins or naturally eats a more plant-based diet
digestive complaints and disturbances’
pale complexion
poor/low appetite or fussy eating
So, if you suspect that your child has Pyrrole Disorder there are a few things we can do straight up. I’m a big believer in “Test, don’t Guess”, so having those results on paper really helps us determine what amount of supplemental Zinc and B6 that we need to use. The first step in testing for pyrroles is a urine test.
Reviewing your child’s diet; eating a diet high in processed sugars, artificial colours and packaged/processed foods can make symptoms worse.
We can work together to fine tune their diet and boost it up with more colourful wholefoods.
If you want to chat about the possibility your child/ren could have Pyrroles Disorder, reach out through the contact form via the link below.
References:
FX Medicine
Jules Galloway, Naturopath
Mullen Natural Health Centre