The European Phenylketonuria Guidelines and the challenges on management practices in Portugal

Background Phenylketonuria (PKU) management practices differ between and within countries. In 2007, the Portuguese Society for Metabolic Disorders (SPDM) approved the Portuguese Consensus (PC) for the nutritional treatment of PKU. The recently published European PKU Guidelines (EPG, 2017) systematically reviewed recent evidence and aimed to harmonise treatment protocols in Europe. The objective of this study was to appraise the EPG acceptance and implementation in Portuguese treatment centres. Methods An electronic questionnaire was prepared and the link was sent to 135 SPDM members. It outlined the 10 EPG key recommendations and compared each statement with the consensus recommendations published by SPDM. Responses were recorded and descriptive analyses were performed. Results Twenty-five professionals completed the questionnaire, and over half (56%) were nutritionists/dieticians. At least one questionnaire from each of the 10 national treatment centres was returned. In general, responders accepted most of the recommendations. However, only the recommendation about target phenylalanine (Phe) concentrations between 120 and 360 μmol/L for patients <12 years received 100% consensus with a further seven recommendations gaining over 70% consensus. Almost half of the professionals (48%, n = 12) required further discussion about the EPG-safe upper target blood Phe concentration (600 μmol/L) suggested for patients aged ≥12 years. Almost one third (32%, n = 8) failed to agree with the recommendation in the EPG-proposed classification of Phe hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency. Conclusions The EPG received overall good acceptance, but there was divided opinion about some recommendations which require further discussion before implementation by the Portuguese treatment centres.