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Galactosemia is a rare, hereditary disorder of carbohydrate metabolism that affects the body’s ability to convert galactose (a sugar contained in milk, including human mother’s milk) to glucose (a different type of sugar). Galactose is converted to glucose by a series of three enzyme reactions. The disorder is caused by a deficiency of an enzyme known as "galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase" which is vital to this process.
Galactosemia may also be referred to as classic galactosemia because a few variants of the gene for galactosemia have been identified. One variant causes a milder form of the disorder known as Duarte galactosemia. Classic galactosemia is the most severe form.
Because milk is the staple of an infant's diet, early diagnosis and treatment of this disorder is absolutely essential to avoid serious lifelong disability.
