Metabolic disorders are chemical reactions that have an adverse effect on the body’s metabolism. These can therefore disrupt the processing of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, leading to numerous symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, and even jaundice.
The causes include organ dysfunction, and even genetics can play a role in the development of these health problems. There are many different types of metabolic disorders. Here is a list of some of the most common ones.
Gaucher Disease is an inherited metabolic disorder involving fat storage in the body. Sufferers of this disease do not make enough of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase, which is needed to break down specific lipids in the body. This results in fat buildup, particularly in the brain and other organs.
The build-up of lipids in certain parts of the body eventually leads to organ dysfunction and many other life-threatening symptoms, such as breathing difficulties. Type 1 is usually mild with few symptoms, type 2 is more serious, whilst type 3 sufferers have a poor quality of life due to numerous symptoms such as cognitive defects, blood disorders, and seizures.
Type one diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is caused by the pancreas’ inability to produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels. It is not linked to age or weight and can affect the young.
Fatigue, weight loss, extreme thirst, and blurred vision are just some of the symptoms associated with this disease. Those with diabetes need to take insulin on a daily basis to help control their blood glucose levels.
Of all the metabolic disorders, diabetes and, more particularly, type 2 diabetes are the most common. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder involving insulin resistance and pancreatic dysfunction which leads to high levels of glucose in the blood.
Sugar levels can rise even higher in sufferers of type 2 diabetes if certain foods, such as refined carbohydrates, are not removed from the diet. The symptoms include excessive thirst, frequent urination, and fatigue. Serious symptoms can occur that affect the heart, eyes, and nerves.
Those with type 2 diabetes can suffer frequent infections, too, and these can be hard to treat, especially if diabetes is not being controlled. Drugs, diet, weight loss, and regular exercise can help to lessen the impact this disorder has on the body.
Hereditary hemochromatosis is a metabolic disorder affecting the amount of iron that is absorbed from the gut. With this disorder, too much iron is absorbed and deposited in various organs of the body, such as the liver. If the liver is affected, then this can lead to liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer. The main cause of this metabolic disorder is mutations in the HFE gene.
Obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in the Western world. Those who are overweight and carry too much body fat are at risk of developing other metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes.
Whilst diet and lifestyle all play a part in the development of obesity, this condition can run in families due to metabolic disorders that affect how the body changes food into energy and how any of the fat content in the diet is stored as body fat.
Phenylketonuria, or PKU, is a disorder where someone is born without or with a reduced ability to produce phenylalanine hydroxylase, which is an enzyme needed to process amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for the manufacturing of proteins, and these are needed for growth and repair.
Any excess amino acids are usually removed by the body, but this is not the case with PKU sufferers. Instead, excess amino acids can build and cause brain damage.