Nutritional phases in Prader-Willi syndrome.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex neurobehavioral condition which has been classically described as having two nutritional stages: poor feeding, frequently with failure to thrive (FTT) in infancy (Stage 1), followed by hyperphagia leading to obesity in later childhood (Stage 2). We have longitudinally followed the feeding behaviors of individuals with PWS and found a much more gradual and complex progression of the nutritional phases than the traditional two stages described in the literature. Therefore, this study characterizes the growth, metabolic, and laboratory changes associated with the various nutritional phases of PWS in a large cohort of subjects.

Carnitine and coenzyme Q10 levels in individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Carnitine deficiency or coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency may present with hypotonia, poor growth, easy fatigability, and apnea. This constellation of findings can also be seen in individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Animal studies indicate that increased fat mass due to obesity negatively correlates with both carnitine and CoQ10 levels in skeletal muscle.