What does pku mean

If you would like to breastfeed, talk your health care provider. Breast milk does contain Phe, but your baby may be able to have a limited amount, supplemented by the Phe-free formula. Regardless, your child will need to stay on a special low-protein diet for life. A PKU diet usually means avoiding high-protein foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, and beans. Instead, the diet will probably include cereals, starches, fruits, a milk substitute, and other items with low or no Phe.

Your child's health care provider may recommend one or more specialists and other resources to help you manage your baby's diet and keep your child healthy.

There are also a variety of resources available to teens and adults with PKU. If you have PKU, talk to your health care provider about the best ways to take care of your dietary and health needs. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.

Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. Phenylketonuria PKU Screening. What is a PKU screening test? The test is easy, with virtually no health risk. Cancers by Body Location. Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Treatment. Pediatric Supportive Care. Rare Cancers of Childhood Treatment. Childhood Cancer Genomics. Study Findings. Metastatic Cancer Research. Intramural Research. Extramural Research. Cancer Research Workforce. Partners in Cancer Research. What Are Cancer Research Studies.

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Clinical Trials. Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. Bioinformatics, Big Data, and Cancer. Annual Report to the Nation. Research Advances by Cancer Type. Stories of Discovery. Milestones in Cancer Research and Discovery. Biomedical Citizen Science. Director's Message. Overview Phenylketonuria fen-ul-key-toe-NU-ree-uh , also called PKU, is a rare inherited disorder that causes an amino acid called phenylalanine to build up in the body.

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Autosomal recessive inheritance pattern To have an autosomal recessive disorder, you inherit two mutated genes, one from each parent. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references National Library of Medicine. Genetics Home Reference. Accessed Oct. National Organization for Rare Disorders. Learning about phenylketonuria PKU. National Human Genome Research Institute. Phenylketonuria PKU. Fax Number International Contact the Metabolism Program What is PKU? What kinds of diets do children with PKU need to adopt?

Is there a medication that may help children with PKU? How common is PKU? Who is at risk for PKU? Before signs are apparent, however, the brain may already be damaged, so treatment needs to begin during the first weeks of life before this happens Symptoms of PKU can include: IQ loss severe intellectual disabilities skin rashes eczema pale skin and blue eyes Phenylalanine usually turns into melanin which gives color to hair and skin tone.

PKU prevents phenylalanine from turning into melanin. Q: What is maternal PKU? Q: What is treatment like? Q: What are some potential side effects of the PKU diet? What are potential side effects from treatment??