person may have one of the genes for the disease but if they have the other dominant gene they will not be affected by the disease. In the diagram P is the dominant gene and p is the recessive gene. People who have one recessive gene and one dominant gene Pp are called silent carriers. The person with PP does not have any of the PKU gene. The person with pp has PKU. Each time two carriers reproduce the chances the baby of having PKU is 25%. The chances of them being a silent carrier is 50%. One in every about fifty people in the general population are carriers. And the chances of that carriers mate is a carrier is about one in 2500. PKU occurs in about one of out every 10,00 babies born in the United States. Incidents of this disease occur equally in male and female babies. (Schuett) Screening for PKU is now done in every state for all newborn babies. The test, called the heel stick test, is done at about three days old, to get early detection. Early detection is the key when treating PKU. If at an early age the babys diet is changed to avoid phenylalanine, a baby who was once destined to become severely mental retarded, now can live their lives fully without any symptoms of the disease. A baby who has PKU must immediately be kept away from foods containing protein, because protein contains high levels of phenylalanine. Babies are fed with a protein formula that contains no phenylalanine. This formula is very expensive, but some states have mandated Breast milk and infant formulas are used sparingly only allowing the amount of phenylalanine that can be tolerated by the babys body. Later, certain vegetables, fruits, some grain products and other low-phenylalanine foods are added to the diet, but no regular milk, cheese, eggs, meat, fish and other high protein foods are ever allowed. Since protein is essential for normal growth and development, the child must continue to have one of the special formulas which are high in...
