Overweight and associated factors in children and adolescents with phenylketonuria: a systematic review

Objective: To verify the occurrence of overweight in children and adolescents with phenylketonuria and to identify possible causal factors. Data sources: A systematic review was performed in the SciELO, PubMed and VHL databases using the descriptors "Phenylketonurias", "Overweight", "Child" and "Adolescent". Original articles conducted with children and adolescents, published between 2008 and 2018 in Portuguese, English or Spanish languages were included. Data synthesis: A total of 16 articles were identified and, after screening procedures, 6 studies were selected for the review. Overweight in children and adolescents with phenylketonuria was a frequent occurence in the studies included in this review, ranging from 7.8 to 32.6%. The female sex was the most affected by the nutritional disorder. Furthermore, a high caloric intake combined with a lack of stimuli to practice physical activities were main factors associated with the excessive weight in the population of interest. Conclusions: Excess weight can be considered a common outcome in children and adolescents with phenylketonuria. It is mainly caused by inadequate food consumption and sedentary lifestyle. The importance of early identification of nutritional disturbances in children and adolescents with phenylketonuria should be emphasized, in order to prevent associated chronic diseases and to promote health by encouraging continued healthy eating habits and the regular practice of physical exercises.