Question
My friend’s child was two months old when they carefully checked for phenylketonuria at the local Maternal and Child Health Care Center during the newborn disease screening. The child has shown no symptoms, so there has been no treatment for four months. I heard from my friend that if this disease is not treated in time, it can be very dangerous. Hi, what’s happening with the negative PKU test in newborn disease screening?
Answer
The key to treating typical PKU is to suppress the content of phenylalanine (PA) in the diet, adopting a low-phenylalanine diet. During infancy, artificial baby formula with low phenylalanine content can be used for feeding, which is also available domestically. This allows for the minimum necessary requirements for the body’s metabolism and growth development, while preventing blood phenylalanine levels from becoming too high and causing brain damage. Dietary suppression should start early; if treatment begins after 6 months of age, the effectiveness is poor. If treatment starts at 4 to 5 years old, it is ineffective as the nervous system growth and development has essentially been completed successfully.