title: Apparent higher frequency of phenylketonuria in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
abstract: The geographic origin of Mexican patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) in Mexico City and in southern California was studied. Compared to patients with other metabolic disorders, patients with PKU were significantly more likely to have originated from the Los Altos region of the state of Jalisco and its environs. The incidence of PKU among mentally retarded students attending special education schools was found to be significantly higher in Jalisco (particularly the Los Altos region) than in the neighboring state of Guanajuato (1.09% vs 0.3%). These results strongly suggest a "population of origin" effect, the mutant allele(s) having been introduced by the Spanish ancestors of the current population. Our findings also support the addition of PKU to the neonatal screening program for this region of Mexico.
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Genetics Unit, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Velázquez
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bilbao
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: González-Trujillo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pérez-Andrade
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vela
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cicerón
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loera-Luna
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cederbaum
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Phoenix
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000235:genetics; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D010661:Phenylketonurias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies