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Excess weight among children with phenylketonuria
Insights
Children with phenylketonuria (PKU) often become overweight by age 4. Early overweight status at 24 months is the strongest predictor, alongside factors like socioeconomic status and parental weight.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Metabolic Disorders
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a metabolic disorder requiring dietary management.
- Overweight and obesity are growing concerns in pediatric populations, including those with chronic conditions.
- Understanding risk factors for overweight in children with PKU is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors associated with overweight status in children with PKU by age 4.
- To understand the etiology and predict high-risk individuals for overweight development.
- To inform strategies for managing weight in PKU patients.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the PKU Collaborative Study.
- Classification of overweight status based on weight-for-height percentiles (above 93rd).
- Comparison of overweight children (n=151) with normal-weight peers, examining variables from the first two years of life.
Main Results:
- Overweight status at 24 months was the most significant predictor of being overweight at age 4.
- Lower socioeconomic status and parental overweight status were associated with increased risk for both sexes.
- Large stature was a risk factor for overweight in girls.
Conclusions:
- Early overweight status is a key indicator for later weight problems in children with PKU.
- Socioeconomic factors, parental weight, and stature influence weight gain in PKU.
- Dietary factors like restriction level and composition did not significantly predict overweight status.
Abstract:
Children with phenylketonuria (PKU) participating in the PKU Collaborative Study were found to be overweight on average by age 4, particularly the girls. A search was made for factors that were most highly associated with a child's overweight status at age 4, in order to help understand the etiology of the problem, as well as to help predict who would be at highest risk of becoming overweight by 4 years. For the analyses, the PKU children who were above the 93rd percentile of weight for their height and sex at age 4 were classified as overweight, and this group was compared to the normal weight PKU children. Among scores of variables measured on the 151 children during their first 2 years of life, overweight (excess weight for height) at 24 months was the best predictor of overweight status at 4 years. Other probable risk factors of being overweight at 4 years were lower socioeconomic status (for both sexes) and overweight parents and large stature (for the girls only). Factors that were not significantly related to overweight status included the level of restriction of the diet therapy for PKU, energy intake during the first 4 years of life, and the diet composition (protein/energy ratio).