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Body mass index in adult patients with diet-treated phenylketonuria

L V Robertson1, N McStravick, S Ripley

  • 1University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Old Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK. louise.robertson@uhb.nhs.uk

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics : the Official Journal of the British Dietetic Association
|April 5, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Adults with phenylketonuria (PKU) on a low phenylalanine diet show obesity rates comparable to the general UK population. This highlights a growing concern for obesity-related complications in PKU patients, necessitating lifestyle interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Metabolic disorders
  • Nutritional science
  • Public health

Background:

  • Growing population of adults with phenylketonuria (PKU) managed by low phenylalanine diets.
  • Increasing body mass index (BMI) and associated comorbidities are a significant public health issue in the UK general population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if diet-treated PKU patients exhibit obesity rates similar to the general UK population.
  • To assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults with PKU.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 236 adult PKU patients (>16 years) from seven UK metabolic centers.
  • Data collected included age, sex, BMI, and mean phenylalanine concentrations over 12 months.

Main Results:

  • 55% of PKU subjects had a BMI >25 kg/m², with obesity prevalence similar to the UK general population.
  • A positive correlation was found between increasing BMI and higher phenylalanine concentrations (r=0.243, P=0.001).
  • Mean BMI was 26 (5.4) kg/m², with females having a higher mean BMI (27 kg/m²) than males (25 kg/m²).

Conclusions:

  • Overweight and obesity in diet-treated PKU patients is a significant concern in the UK.
  • Obesity may increase the complexity and cost of care due to related health complications.
  • Patient education on healthy, low-phenylalanine diets and lifestyles is crucial to manage BMI.
Abstract

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