Assessment of the Life Quality in Children with Phenylketonuria

Abstract

Background: Phenylketonuria (PKU)-the most common inherited disorder of amino acid metabolism, identified in Russia by neonatal screening. The results of dietary treatment demonstrate a positive effect. However, the quality of PKU patients life remains unknown. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the quality of PKU children life in comparison with their healthy peers, also depending on the treatment onset and the patient's age. Methods: The study involved 64 pairs-PKU child and one of his parents. It was used the common questionnaire survey Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQLtm4.0, Varni et al., USA, 2001) and the program SPSS v. 14.0 (US) for statistical processing of the results. Results: The statistically significant (p <0.001) differences between PKU patients and healthy children in the physical, emotional, social and role functioning were found. The most pronounced differences were observed in the social (70 points vs 90 respectively) and role (57.5 vs 80 respectively) functioning. Maximum significant correlation (p <0.001) was installed between the social functioning of PKU patients and timing of the dietary treatment. Also the statistically significant interaction (p <0.05) was found between the role functioning, patient's age and treatment onset. The assessment points of social and role functioning were higher (p <0.05) in the PKU patients subgroup with early treatment initiation. Conclusion: These results confirmed the need of early diagnostics of PKU and initiation of dietary treatment, as well as the organization of timely psychological support for parents of sick children.

Quality of life and adherence to treatment in early-treated Brazilian phenylketonuria pediatric patients

“…Two studies showed results similar to ours. One study conducted in the Russian Federation, using the same questionnaire as in the present study, showed statistically significant lower scores for PKU children when compared to healthy peers in all PedsQL core scales ( 34 ). Lower HRQoL scores, assessed by the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ), were also demonstrated in a group of children and adolescents in Italy ( 35 ).…”

Body Composition Evaluation and Clinical Markers of Cardiometabolic Risk in Patients with Phenylketonuria

“…So, the host dietary pattern will have a profound effect on the microbiota, favoring the growth of species that uses these fuel sources, and this diet-induced microbial structure will have a crucial impact on host physiology and disease process (Figure 4) [205]. There are some studies evaluating overweight and/or obesity prevalence in patients with PKU; this is mainly in pediatric patients [127,[214][215][216][217][218][219][220][221][222][223][224][225][226][227][228][229][230], but also in mixed pediatric and adult populations [182,191,[231][232][233][234] or only adults [181,[235][236][237][238] reporting different Nutrients can directly interact with microorganisms to promote or inhibit their growth, shaping the gut microbial community. Also, diet-derived antigens and compounds can shape the gut microbiota in an indirect fashion by affecting host metabolism and its immune system.…”

“…There are some studies evaluating overweight and/or obesity prevalence in patients with PKU; this is mainly in pediatric patients [127,[214][215][216][217][218][219][220][221][222][223][224][225][226][227][228][229][230], but also in mixed pediatric and adult populations [182,191,[231][232][233][234] or only adults [181,[235][236][237][238] reporting different results. This has been recently reviewed [1,239], and cardiovascular risk through MetS concerns not only increased body weight but also increased body fat and, more precisely, increased visceral and other ectopic fat deposition [59].…”