Phenylketonuria Research Paper

Superior Essays
When you hear the Phenylketonuria, what do you think? Is it that you have never heard that word be used before? It could just be that you think it can be a very harmful disorder to the human body. There are many questions that are asked about Phenylketonuria (PKU), and many of those can be answered easily. PKU is a birth defect that causes an amino acid to build up in your body. This defect/disorder can be treated in a multitude of different methods. If it is left untreated it can lead to severe consequences. Usually there are many different causes for disorders, but PKU can only be caused by one thing.
Phenylketonuria is an inherited disorder that is detected at birth. It is required that any newborn in all 50 states for the US to
…show more content…
One of the most severe cases of PKU is known as,”Classic PKU”. This form of PKU is caused when the mutation of the PAH gene causes the creation of the enzyme Phenylalanine hydroxylase is reduced exponentially to almost nothing. In this case when left untreated can have very severe outcomes. In untreated cases of Pku, the individual with the disorder can gain brain damage. As well as have many different intellectual disabilities. They child might even have seizures related to having PKU. When someone has PKU they will have to live with eating a special diet, to make sure that they dont intake excess amount of phenylalanine. In many extreme cases of the disorder the person is not capable of creating Phenylalanine Hydroxylase, making it so they aren't able to intake any food product including the amino acid, to prevent any further symptoms from appearing. Many symptoms appear in a person that has this special disorder. These symptoms include:” Intellectual disability, delayed development, Behavior, emotional, and social problems, psychiatric disorders, neurological problems, hyperactivity, poor bone strength, skin rashes, etc.”(Mayo Clinic Staff, symptoms of PKU). All symptoms can be prevented by maintaining special treatments throughout his/her

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    A boy with Duchenne MD will have trouble walking and eventually will stop walking. The boy also might have trouble feeding himself, difficulty breathing, and trouble with his…

    • 116 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Autism Chapter 12 Summary

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The causes with these disorders are a narrow biological disorder in genetic…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    These changes include loss of purposeful muscle movement, muscle rigidity, and difficulty or complete loss of the ability to walk (McCance & Heuther, 2014). The digestive system may become affected as well. Weight loss can become significant as the person begins experiencing difficulties swallowing and changes in smell and taste. As the disease progresses loss of bowel and bladder control can occur. These manifestations will vary greatly depending on the severity of the disease, the age of onset, as well as the location of the abnormalities within the brain (McCance & Heuther, 2014).…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Krabbe disease is named after a danish doctor knud haraldsen krabbe he lived until 1885 to 1965.Krabbe disease is inherited disorder that destroys the protective coating (myelin) of nerve cells in the brain and throughout the nervous system. There’s no cure for krabbe disease. However, stem cell transplants have shown some success full in infants who are treated before the onset of symptoms and in some older children and adults. krabbe disease is named after a danish doctor knud haraldsen krabbe he lived until 1885 to 1965.It was found in illinois kentucky.…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    INTR0DUCTION ‎ Vascular complications due to atherosclerosis are a major cause of ‎morbidity and mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus(1). Microalbuminuria ‎now days is considered to be an atherosclerotic risk factor and predicts ‎future cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients, in elderly ‎patients, as well as in the general population(2). Microalbuminuria is ‎associated with cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in patients with ‎type 2 diabetes mellitus(3, 4). However, little is known about this ‎association. Specifically, it is not known whether microalbuminuria is ‎related to an early stage of atherosclerosis which manifested ‎radiologically by increased intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid ‎arteries either common…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Leukoencephalopathy with neuroaxonal spheroids is a type of leukoencephalopathy that is caused by subacute dementia and can be inherited. Typically seen in children, this disease mimics that of multiple sclerosis. Leukoencephalopathy is a broad term used to describe diseases that affect the white matter in the brain. The brain is composed of two types of matter, white matter and gray matter. White matter carries nerve impulses between neurons, and according to BioMed Central it also connects the gray matter to the different regions of the brain.…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Wilson disease is a recessive inherited disorder. It occurs at birth, but symptoms of the disease do not appear till the ages of 6 through 40 and is caused by a large accumulation of copper in the body. An indication of the disease is a deep copper colored ring around the edge of cornea and the most common medical consequences of Wilson disease is liver disease because the liver is what eliminates the absorbed copper when we consume food and turns it into bile so the copper levels in our body remain leveled. When the copper is not eliminated by the liver and is accumulated in our bodies instead, it becomes life threatening to our body and begins to affect our entire system. Wilson Disease is a treatable disease, but has to be done at an early…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Most cases reported have occurred when this enzyme is deficient and the body's amount of phenylalanine is slightly higher than usual in the circulatory system. This is called Hyperphenylalaninemia. This is a separate variation of the original PKU. But back to regular PKU, this occurs almost immediately when a child is born. Although appearing nearly completely normal, the child can have blue eyes and fairer skin than the rest of his family.…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Normally small amounts of ketone acids can be taken care of by the kidneys and the liver, however a large concentration can lower the body's PH level, in essence create an hyper acidic condition in the body. What causes it? As stated in the beginning paragraph, Diabetic Ketoacidosis is from the cells lack of ability to convert sugar to energy, forcing it to look elsewhere for an energy source. The cell instead converts fatty acids to energy.…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is more common in women than in men, highly unpredictable, and often debilitating. Some symptoms, although they vary from one individual to the next and in severity, may include optic neuritis, dysarthria, and dysphagia. While a patient can identify and express their struggles with this disease, they cannot speak for the impact it has on their children. Behaviors and Emotions Children cannot always express their emotions in a healthy way. They may be uncomfortable talking to someone about how they feel, or they simply do not understand what they are feeling.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Polycystic Kidney Disease

    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Also it is very rare for you to get a genetic mutations from Polycystic kidney disease. If any other types of disease are caused by PKD it is to others genetic flaws in this category. These 2 other diseases are known as Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. This disease, which shows signs at ages 30-40 and only 1 parent need to have it in their genes which gives a 50% chance of getting it. The other disease is autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease also known as ARPKD, is less common .…

    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Prion Disease

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Through the use of technology and science, scientists have discovered new diseases and how these diseases came about and how they are developing, such as the Prion Disease. After acknowledging the fact that our bodies have unique ways of morphing beneficiary aspects of our bodies into negative ones it was concluded that the affecting cause of the Prion Disease was not through a virus nor an infection, but thorough our very own protein found in the brain. Prion diseases have affected not only humans but animals as well. The first case of a prion disease affecting an animal was documented in the 1730’s which was named “Scrapie”.…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “Chronic Kidney Disease, also called chronic kidney failure, describes the gradual loss of kidney function. Your kidneys filter wastes and excess fluids from your blood, which are then excreted in your urine. When chronic kidney disease reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and wastes can build up in your body”. Chronic Kidney disease usually relates to anemia and the level of anemia correlates with the severity of renal failure. Many conditions can cause CKD, causes such as anemia, heart disease, diabetes, high-blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease, renal artery stenosis, pyelonephritis, analgesic abuse, polycystic kidney diseases, allergic reactions, glomerulonephritis systemic lupus erythematosus, sickle…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Asperger's Syndrome Essay

    • 1736 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Symptoms of the disorder are obvious from infancy. Unlike most children eight to ten month old,…

    • 1736 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays