Response Blog

When I read glowriter54's blog on Phenylketonuria, or PKU, I learned that it's most likely diagnosed in White and Asian newborn infants. The cause for PKU is an excess amount of protein in the infant's body. When an infant is born with PKU, and the infant is not instantly treated, then the infant may get brain damage. I feel bad for the infants who are born with PKU, because from the moment they take their first breath, they have the risk of getting brain damage and a very hard life ahead of them full of physical struggles. For instance, patients with PKU may have intellectual disability, seizures, delayed development, behavioral problems, psychiatric disorders, musty or mouse-like odor, eczema, and lighter hair and skin color. Although this is a genetic disorder, we hope that this disease will begin to die down. I feel sympathy and concern for those infants born with Phenylketonuria who have to constantly struggle with difficult physical conditions.