Word: phenylketonuria
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...identify patients who need further evaluation. Studies suggest that PPD affects as many as 1 out of 7 mothers and that failing to treat it exposes women and their babies to unwarranted risk. "Postpartum depression is not a benign, uncommon thing. We screen all infants for [the genetic disorder] phenylketonuria, which is extremely rare. Why don't we screen women for this?" asks University of Pittsburgh Medical Center psychiatrist Katherine Wisner...
...Less than a decade ago, newborns weren't so fortunate. As recently as 2000, most hospitals tested for only a handful of the recommended 29 diseases, including phenylketonuria, a metabolic disorder that can result in mental retardation, and hypothyroidism, a hormone deficiency that can stunt growth and brain development. (Both conditions are treatable with special diets and hormone supplements.) In many cases, these detectable diseases can be treated or managed if caught early...
...first arose in the '60s, when cyclamates were banned as likely carcinogens. Saccharin, which is found in Sweet'n Low, was labeled a possible carcinogen in the early '70s and had to carry a warning until 2000. Products with aspartame (NutraSweet) have always been labeled dangerous for people with phenylketonuria, a relatively rare condition. And sucralose (marketed as Splenda) bears no warning label...
Curiously, Markle didn't warn against aspartame's single known health risk. Folks with an uncommon genetic disorder called phenylketonuria shouldn't consume the sweetener because they cannot metabolize one of its ingredients...
...common complaint was against hard-nosed health insurers, but many talked of being denied a job or losing a promotion. Some even reported that they had been prevented from adopting children because of information found in genetic tests. Billings recalls, for example, a couple who had a child with phenylketonuria (PKU), an inherited condition that can lead to retardation but is easily--and inexpensively--treated by diet. "Insurance companies not only refused to write policies for the couple but effectively ostracized the entire family," he says...