What is metabolic error?

Inborn errors of metabolism are rare genetic (inherited) disorders in which the body cannot properly turn food into energy. The disorders are usually caused by defects in specific proteins (enzymes) that help break down (metabolize) parts of food.

What are examples of metabolic disorders?

Examples include:

  • Familial hypercholesterolemia.
  • Gaucher disease.
  • Hunter syndrome.
  • Krabbe disease.
  • Maple syrup urine disease.
  • Metachromatic leukodystrophy.
  • Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, stroke-like episodes (MELAS)
  • Niemann-Pick.


What are the most common metabolic disorders?

Diabetes is the most common metabolic disease.

Hereditary hemochromatosis

  • liver cirrhosis.
  • liver cancer.
  • diabetes.
  • heart disease.

What are the common inborn metabolic errors?

Such prototypical inborn errors of metabolism include PKU, ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, methylmalonicaciduria, medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency, galactosemia, and Gaucher’s disease.

Can you treat inborn errors of metabolism?

The management of inborn errors of metabolism has traditionally consisted in diet therapy and supportive therapy, but recently other treatment options have become available, including enzyme and coenzyme replacement, removal of harmful substances, cell and organ transplantation, and gene therapy.

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What are the five signs of metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

Is thyroid disease a metabolic disorder?

Thyroid dysfunctions and the metabolic syndrome are the two most common endocrine disorders with a substantial overlap [1]. Both are associated with significant morbidity and mortality and thus impact substantially on health care, worldwide [2,3].

Can metabolic disorders be cured?

The treatment approach for metabolic disorders depends on the specific disorder. Inborn errors of metabolism (inherited metabolic disorders) are often treated with nutritional counseling and support, periodic assessment, physical therapy, and other supportive care options.

How do you test for metabolic disorders?

Doctors diagnose metabolic disorders with screening tests. Blood tests and a physical exam are standard parts of the diagnosis process. With so many inherited metabolic disorders, each kind of testing or screening will be different.

What is a metabolic cause of a seizure?

Metabolic disorders can cause seizures through one of three ways: deficiency of substrates essential for cellular metabolism or membrane function, intracellular accumulation of toxic substances and alteration of intracellular osmolality [4].

What is the most common metabolic disease of childhood?


What are the signs and symptoms of inborn errors of metabolism?

Symptoms for inborn errors of metabolism of substrate and intermediary metabolism develop once a significant amount of toxic metabolites accumulate following the initiation of feeding and may include the following: poor feeding, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or dehydration; temperature instability; tachypnea; apnea; …

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How common are inborn error of metabolism?

Although any given inborn error of metabolism is very rare, taken as a group, inborn errors of metabolism occur in 1 in 2500 births.

When should you suspect inborn errors of metabolism?

When children exhibit persistent FTT that does not respond to increased energy intake through diet, primary care physicians should consider organic causes including inborn errors of metabolism (IEM).

How is inborn error of metabolism diagnosed?

The definitive diagnosis is established by liver biopsy or autopsy. Most infants affected succumb to the disorder during the early weeks of life.

Is lactose intolerance an inborn error of metabolism?

Inborn Errors of Metabolism

Lactose intolerance, also called lactase deficiency, is due to an insufficient level of lactase, which hydrolyzes lactose into glucose and galactose. Therefore, ingestion of milk and dairy products results in bloating, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and related symptoms.

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