One character who probably had problems producing haem was Count Dracula. A genetic defect has been identified in his home country, Romania, that results in symptoms that include a lack of tolerance to garlic, sensitivity to sunlight, and the production of red urine. This urine discoloration is caused by a defect in blood production that means sufferers excrete the unfinished precursors of blood production. Nowadays, those affected by the condition—called porphyria—are given medical treatment rather than the starring role in a horror story.
