As children with MSUD grow, they continue taking the special formula. They are allowed other foods which are weighed or measured in the home to supply the prescribed amount of leucine each day. Typically the MSUD diet does not include any high protein foods such as meat, nuts, eggs, and most dairy products. Children gradually learn to accept the responsibility for controlling their diets. There is no age at which diet treatment can be stopped.
Lifelong therapy is essential for an optimal outcome.
Any common illness or infection can cause elevations in the BCAAs which may precipitate an episode of vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, sleepiness, unusual breathing, staggering, hallucinations, and slurred speech. Left untreated, the child can go into a coma and die. Thus, any signs of illness require initiation of a sick day plan and immediate contact with a health care provider to begin treatment for the illness. The sick day plan is designed to keep a child out of the hospital. The main focus of the sick day regimen is to provide adequate calories and amino acids to meet the body's needs and to use up the excess BCAAs in the blood by promoting protein synthesis.