Coping with dietary therapy in phenylketonuria: A case report.

Abstract
Coping with and adhering to the diet required for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU) can be very stressful to PKU children and their families. These stresses may go unrecognized by health professionals. Recently, longer dietary therapy has been recommended for PKU children. This case report describes the effects of maintaining the diet over an eight-year period on one family''s eating and mealtime events. A behavioural/family systems oriented assessment and intervention program is described. The implications for enhancing dietary adherence and long-term management of dietary therapy in PKU are discussed.