Phenylketonuria

Great strides have been made in improving and safeguarding the health of mothers and children of this country. The risks of pregnancy have been considerably reduced. Many of the threats to the lives of newborn babies have been removed, and more infants survive today than ever before. Among those who survive, however, are some who are not fully equipped to grow and develop normally. At birth, some have defects which we have been unable to prevent. Correction and prevention of these defects are among the most challenging frontiers in medical research today. For my special studies this semester, I have chosen to report on one such defect--phenylketonuria. I have studied the causes, the effects, the symptoms, the detection, the treatment, and the laws related to detection and treatment. While it affects only a small number of infants born each year, if untreated, the condition results in the tragic destruction of the mind of the child, although he may have been born with normal mental potential