Treatment:

Complete elimination of fructose and sucrose from the diet is an effective treatment for most patients. Individual complications are treated as appropriate. For example, some patients can take medication to lower the level of uric acid in their blood and thereby decrease their risk for gout.

Expectations (prognosis):

Hereditary fructose intolerance may be relatively mild or a very severe disease.

Complete avoidance of fructose and sucrose produces good results in most children with this condition. A few children will go on to develop severe liver disease.

In the severe form, even eliminating fructose and sucrose from the diet may not prevent severe liver disease.

How well a person does depends on how soon the diagnosis is made and how soon fructose and sucrose can be eliminated from the diet.

Complications:

• Hypoglycemia
• Illness due to eating fructose- or sucrose-containing foods
• Strong avoidance of fructose-containing foods due to noxious effects
• Seizures
• Bleeding
• Gout
• Liver failure
• Death

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if your child develops symptoms of this condition after feeding starts. If your child has this condition, experts recommend seeing a doctor who specializes in biochemical genetics or metabolism.