Talk to your health care provider in these situations: In addition, maternal PKU can cause the child to have delayed development, intellectual disability and problems with behavior. But a child can have serious problems if the level of phenylalanine is high in the mother's blood during pregnancy. If women don't follow the special PKU diet before and during pregnancy, blood phenylalanine levels can become high and harm the developing baby.Įven women with less severe forms of PKU may place their unborn children at risk by not following the PKU diet.īabies born to women with high phenylalanine levels don't often inherit PKU. Women who have PKU and become pregnant are at risk of another form of the condition called maternal PKU. Regardless of the form, most infants, children and adults with the disorder still require a special PKU diet to prevent intellectual disability and other complications. In mild or moderate forms, the enzyme still has some function, so phenylalanine levels are not as high, resulting in a smaller risk of significant brain damage. This results in high levels of phenylalanine that can cause severe brain damage. The enzyme needed to break down phenylalanine is missing or severely reduced. The most severe form of the disorder is called classic PKU. Behavioral, emotional and social problems.Unusually small head size (microcephaly).Lighter skin, hair and eye color than family members, because phenylalanine can't transform into melanin - the pigment responsible for hair and skin tone.Nervous system (neurological) problems that may include seizures.A musty odor in the breath, skin or urine, caused by too much phenylalanine in the body.Signs and symptoms of untreated PKU can be mild or severe and may include: However, without treatment, babies usually develop signs of PKU within a few months. Together with the bicarbonate, this ensures that the stomach wall itself is not damaged by the hydrochloric acid.Newborns with PKU initially don't have any symptoms. The mucus covers the stomach wall with a protective coating. The acidic gastric juice also kills bacteria. The hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice breaks down the food and the digestive enzymes split up the proteins. Gastric juice is made up of digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid and other substances that are important for absorbing nutrients – about 3 to 4 liters of gastric juice are produced per day. These glands make digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, mucus and bicarbonate. There are three different types of glands. If you look at the mucous membrane under a microscope, you can see lots of tiny glands. These folds run toward the exit of the stomach, providing “pathways” along which liquids can quickly flow through the stomach. The inner mucous membrane (lining) has large folds that are visible to the naked eye.
The muscles move the contents of the stomach around so vigorously that solid parts of the food are crushed and ground, and mixed into a smooth food pulp. The muscle layer alone has three different sub-layers. The stomach wall is made up of several layers of mucous membrane, connective tissue with blood vessels and nerves, and muscle fibers. At the exit of the stomach, the body of the stomach narrows to form the pyloric canal, where the partially digested food is passed on to the small intestine in portions. In the largest part of the stomach, called the body, food is churned and broken into smaller pieces, mixed with acidic gastric juice and enzymes, and pre-digested. It is usually filled with air that enters the stomach when you swallow. The upper-left part of the stomach near the opening curves upward towards the diaphragm. If this mechanism does not work properly, acidic gastric juice might get into the esophagus, leading to heartburn or an inflammation. When you swallow, these muscles relax and the lower end of the esophagus opens, allowing food to enter the stomach. The stomach’s shape and size vary from person to person, depending on things like people’s sex and build, but also on how much they eat.Īt the point where the esophagus leads into the stomach, the digestive tube is usually kept shut by muscles of the esophagus and diaphragm. It is located on the left side of the upper abdomen and shaped somewhat like an oversized comma, with its bulge pointing out to the left. The stomach is an enlarged pouch-like section of this digestive tube. The entire digestive system is made up of one muscular tube extending from the mouth to the anus. It takes in food from the esophagus (gullet or food pipe), mixes it, breaks it down, and then passes it on to the small intestine in small portions.