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Diet termination in children with phenylketonuria: a review of psychological assessments used to determine outcome
Author(s) -
Waisbren S. E.,
Schnell R. R.,
Levy H. L.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of inherited metabolic disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1573-2665
pISSN - 0141-8955
DOI - 10.1007/bf02312549
Subject(s) - human genetics , phenylketonurias , metabolic disease , pediatrics , medicine , outcome (game theory) , psychiatry , psychology , clinical psychology , phenylalanine , genetics , biology , mathematics , mathematical economics , amino acid , gene
This paper reviews the 19 published studies that have utilized psychological assessments in determining the outcome of children with phenylketonuria who have discontinued a phenylalanine‐restricted diet. About half the studies showed that, after diet termination, the intellectual performance of children decreased, while the other studies indicated that the intellectual performance of the children did not change. Difficulties in the use of intelligence tests to answer questions about diet termination are outlined. Due to the methodological difficulties and the varying results reported, the issue concerning the safety of diet discontinuation remains unresolved. The conclusion is that the task now is to differentiate those children who should remain on the diet from those who may safely terminate.