WHAT IS PHENYLKETONURIA?
PHENYLKETONURIA (PKU) IS DESCRIBED AS A METABOLIC DEFICIENCY, WHERE THERE IS A LACK OF THE PHENYLALANINE HYDROXALASE (PAH) ENZYME, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO BRAKE DOWN PHENYLALANINE PROTEIN, AN AMINO ACID FOUND IN PROTEIN.
PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH PKU ARE PUT ON A LIFE-LONG STRICT DIET WHICH CONSIST OF LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF PHENYLALANINE INTO THE BLOODSTREAM, BY EATING LOW - PROTEIN FOODS AND SPECIAL FORMULA MILK.
WHEN THEY ARE BORN THEY ARE PUT THROUGH NEW BORN SCREENING WHICH TESTS FOR PKU, THATS HOW THEY DETECT WEATHER THEY HAVE PKU OR NOT.
IF PKU IS LEFT UNDIAGNOSED IT CAN CAUSE ECEZEMA, LEARNING DISORDERS, JAUNDICE, AND MUSTY URINE TO NAME A FEW, IT COULD EVEN CAUSE MENTAL RETARDATION.
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