Question: There's a disease that has a similar origin to being a vampire. Have you heard of it and do you know what it is?

Alexis Barr answered on 16 Jun 2013:

There is – Porphyria. The reason Porphyria is also called “Vampire disease” is because sufferers have skin that is very sensitive to sunlight, their urine is red or purple in colour, and their gums can shrink making their teeth look larger and more prominent (or like fangs). Even eating garlic can make symptoms worse.
Porphyria is a group of rare disease which are caused by problems with haemoglobin production. Haemoglobin is the red pigment in your red blood cells that carries oxygen around your body. It’s thought (although might not be true!) that the first “vampires” were actually suffering from Porphyria.