[Effect of dietary measures on body weight and height of children with phenylketonuria in East Germany].

Body length and body weight of 90 patients with PKU (48 girls and 42 boys) were compared during the years up to 1990 and thereafter. The patients got Berlophen up to 1990 for at least 3 years, and Milupa PKU or PAM (SHS) for 3 years thereafter. The data were compared with the percentiles according to Prader, the significance was calculated with the Chi2-Test. Body length and weight are significantly reduced during the first decade of life compared with normal population. Body length reaches normal values at the age of 12 years, body weight at 9 years respectively. The change of the diet after the german unification had no influence onto body weight and length. The retardation of body length, however, was more marked in patients with very strict dietary control compared to patients with more often dietary faults. The limited availability of essential nutrients seems to be the cause for the somatic retardation of the patients with PKU in the eastern part of germany.