For women with phenylketonuria, it is important for the health of their children to maintain low Phe levels before and during pregnancy. Though the developing fetus may only be a carrier of the PKU gene, the intrauterine environment can have very high levels of phenylalanine, which can cross the placenta. The child may develop congenital heart disease, growth retardation, microcephaly and intellectual disability as a result. PKU-affected women themselves are not at risk of additional complications during pregnancy.

In most countries, women with PKU who wish to have children are advised to lower their blood Phe levels (typically to between 2 and 6 mg/dL) before they become pregnant, and carefully control their levels throughout the pregnancy. This is achieved by performing regular blood tests and adhering very strictly to a diet, in general monitored on a day-to-day basis by a specialist metabolic dietitian. In many cases, as the fetus' liver begins to develop and produce PAH normally, the mother's blood Phe levels will drop, requiring an increased intake to remain within the safe range of 2–6 mg/dL. The mother's daily Phe intake may double or even triple by the end of the pregnancy, as a result. When maternal blood Phe levels fall below 2 mg/dL, anecdotal reports indicate that the mothers may suffer adverse effects, including headaches, nausea, hair loss, and general malaise. When low phenylalanine levels are maintained for the duration of pregnancy, there are no elevated levels of risk of birth defects compared with a baby born to a non-PKU mother.

This disorder, epidemiologically speaking, is thought to affect approximately 1 in 50,000 newborns according to Jethva, et al. While in the U.S. state of California there seems to be a ratio of 1 in 35,000.

Infant mortality is high for patients diagnosed with early onset; mortality can occur within less than 2 months, while children diagnosed with late-onset syndrome seem to have higher rates of survival. Patients suffering from a complete lesion of mut0 have not only the poorest outcome of those suffering from methylaonyl-CoA mutase deficiency, but also of all individuals suffering from any form of methylmalonic acidemia.

Transaldolase deficiency is recognized as a rare inherited pleiotropic metabolic disorder first recognized and described in 2001 that is autosomal recessive. There have been only a few cases that have been noted, as of 2012 there have been 9 patients recognized with this disease and one fetus.

Babies with this disorder are usually healthy at birth. The signs and symptoms may not appear until later in infancy or childhood and can include poor feeding and growth (failure to thrive), a weakened and enlarged heart (dilated cardiomyopathy), seizures, and low numbers of red blood cells (anemia). Another feature of this disorder may be very low blood levels of carnitine (a natural substance that helps convert certain foods into energy).

Isobutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency may be worsened by long periods without food (fasting) or infections that increase the body's demand for energy. Some individuals with gene mutations that can cause isobutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency may never experience any signs and symptoms of the disorder.

In the world less than 1 in 1.00.000 have HIDS [5]. 200 individuals throughout the world do suffer from MVK.

The average number of new cases of PKU varies in different human populations. United States Caucasians are affected at a rate of 1 in 10,000. Turkey has the highest documented rate in the world, with 1 in 2,600 births, while countries such as Finland and Japan have extremely low rates with fewer than one case of PKU in 100,000 births. A 1987 study from Slovakia reports a Roma population with an extremely high incidence of PKU (one case in 40 births) due to extensive inbreeding. It is the most common amino acid metabolic problem in the United Kingdom.

Canine phosphofructokinase deficiency is found mostly in English Springer Spaniels and American Cocker Spaniels, but has also been reported in Whippets and Wachtelhunds. Mixed-breed dogs descended from any of these breeds are also at risk to inherit PFK deficiency.

Different genetic causes and types of Leigh syndrome have different prognoses, though all are poor. The most severe forms of the disease, caused by a full deficiency in one of the affected proteins, cause death at a few years of age. If the deficiency is not complete, the prognosis is somewhat better and an affected child is expected to survive 6–7 years, and in rare cases, to their teenage years.

A 2001 study followed up on 50 patients. Of these 38% died in childhood while the rest suffered from problems with morbidity.

Characterised as a recessive disorder, symptomatic presentation requires the inheritance of aldolase A mutations from both parents. This conclusion is substantiated through the continuum type presentation witnessed, wherein heterozygous parents have intermediate enzyme activity. Structural instability has been indicated in four of the patients, with particular sensitivity to increased temperature according to direct enzymatic testing. This is exemplified in the early diagnosis of hereditary pyropoikilocytosis in the Sicilian girl. Deterioration with fever is likewise congruent. However, this direct relation has been disputed due to the increased overall metabolism and oxygen consumption also accompanying such maladies.

Sequence analysis has been conducted for three of the patients each revealing a distinct alteration at regions of typically high conservation. The conversion of the 128th aspartic acid to glycine causes conformational change according to CD spectral analysis and thermal lability in mutagenic analysis. Similarly the charge disruption created through the exchange of the negatively charged glutamic acid for positively charged lysine (at residue 209 of the E helix) disrupts interface interaction of the protein's subunits and therein destabilises its native tetrahedral configuration. The final case is unique in its non-homozygosity. A comparable maternal missense mutation wherein tyrosine is replaced by cysteine alters the carboxy-terminus due to its proximity to a crucial hinge structure. However, the paternal nonsense mutation at arginine 303 truncates the peptide. It is notable that Arg303 is required for enzymatic activity.

The initial 1973 case is atypical, in that no indication of aldolase A structural abnormality was found in isoelectric focusing, heat stabilization, electrophoresis or enzyme kinetics. It was concluded that either disordered regulation or a basic defect creating more rapid tetrameric inactivation were the most probable causes.

In order to get Tarui’s disease, both parents must be carriers of the genetic defect so that the child is born with the full form of the recessive trait. The best indicator of risk is a family member with PFK deficiency.

Short-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (SCADD), also called ACADS deficiency and SCAD deficiency, is an autosomal recessive fatty acid oxidation disorder which affects enzymes required to break down a certain group of fats called short chain fatty acids.

The GM1 gangliosidoses (or GM1 gangliosidos"i"s) are caused by a deficiency of beta-galactosidase, with resulting abnormal storage of acidic lipid materials in cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems, but particularly in the nerve cells.

GM1 Gangliosidoses are inherited, autosomal recessive sphingolipidoses, resulting from marked deficiency of Acid Beta Galactosidase.

Isobutyryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, commonly known as IBD deficiency, is a rare metabolic disorder in which the body is unable to process certain amino acids properly.

People with this disorder have inadequate levels of an enzyme that helps break down the amino acid valine, resulting in a buildup of valine in the urine, a symptom called valinuria.

That MMA can have disastrous effects on the nervous system has been long reported; however, the mechanism by which this occurs has never been determined. Published on June 15th 2015, research performed on the effects of methylmalonic acid on neurons isolated from fetal rats in an in vitro setting using a control group of neurons treated with an alternate acid of similar pH. These tests have suggested that methylmalonic acid causes decreases in cellular size and increase in the rate of cellular apoptosis in a concentration dependent manner with more extreme effects being seen at higher concentrations. Furthermore, micro-array analysis of these treated neurons have also suggested that on a epigenetic-level methylmalonic acid alters the transcription rate of 564 genes, notably including those involved in the apoptosis, p53, and MAPK signaling pathways.

Mevalonate kinase deficiency, also called mevalonic aciduria and hyper immunoglobin D syndrome is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder that disrupts the biosynthesis of cholesterol and isoprenoids.

It is characterized by an elevated level of immunoglobin D in the blood.

The enzyme is involved in biosynthesis of cholesterols and isoprenoids. The enzyme is necessary for the conversion of mevalonate to mevalonate-5-phosphate in the presence of Mg2+ [Harper’s biochemistry manual]. Mevalonate kinase deficiency causes the accumulation of mevalonate in urine and hence the activity of the enzyme is again reduced Mevalonate kinase deficiency. It was first described as HIDS in 1984.

Delayed growth and development was noted in some patients, although not fully explained, this may be generally associated with the physiological difficulties implicit in errors of energy metabolism. In particular neurological impairment was conjecturally linked with the predominant role of aldolase A in the brain during development. However, this was not substantiated with direct enzymatic kinetic study.

Elevated liver glycogen in one patent was rationalised through an accumulation of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate leading to impaired glucose metabolism and increased diversion of hexose sugars from peripheral tissues. Within the liver the aldolase C isoform is unaffected and therefore hepatic metabolism is assumed to be normally functioning and compensatory processes may be operating.

Compromised immunity has also been indicated, relating to the predominance or exclusivity of aldolase A in leukocytes. This was correlated with recurrent infection in the Sicilian case.

Focal disruption of vital energy metabolism has thus far prevented complete investigation of non-catalytic perturbation. However relation to membrane structural stability has been implicated in the concurrence of aldolase A deficiency and dominant (mild) hereditary elliptocytosis, speculatively also relating to ATP depletion.

2,4 Dienoyl-CoA reductase deficiency is an inborn error of metabolism resulting in defective fatty acid oxidation caused by a deficiency of the enzyme 2,4 Dienoyl-CoA reductase. Lysine degradation is also affected in this disorder leading to hyperlysinemia. The disorder is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, meaning an individual must inherit mutations in "NADK2," located at 5p13.2 from both of their parents. NADK2 encodes the mitochondrial NAD kinase. A defect in this enzyme leads to deficient mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate levels. 2,4 Dienoyl-CoA reductase, but also lysine degradation are performed by NADP-dependent oxidoreductases explaining how NADK2 deficiency can lead to multiple enzyme defects.

2,4-Dienoyl-CoA reductase deficiency was initially described in 1990 based on a single case of a black female who presented with persistent hypotonia. Laboratory investigations revealed elevated lysine, low levels of carnitine and an abnormal acylcarnitine profile in urine and blood. The abnormal acylcarnitine species was eventually identified as 2-trans,4-cis-decadienoylcarnitine, an intermediate of linoleic acid metabolism. The index case died of respiratory failure at four months of age. Postmortem enzyme analysis on liver and muscle samples revealed decreased 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase activity when compared to normal controls. A second case with failure to thrive, developmental delay, lactic acidosis and severe encephalopathy was reported in 2014.

2,4-Dienoyl-CoA reductase deficiency was included as a secondary condition in the American College of Medical Genetics Recommended Uniform Panel for newborn screening. Its status as a secondary condition means there was not enough evidence of benefit to include it as a primary target, but it may be detected during the screening process or as part of a differential diagnosis when detecting conditions included as primary target. Despite its inclusion in newborn screening programs in several states for a number of years, no cases have been identified via neonatal screening.

Incidence of Sanfilippo syndrome varies geographically, with approximately 1 case per 280,000 live births in Northern Ireland, 1 per 66,000 in Australia, and 1 per 50,000 in the Netherlands.

The Australian study estimated the following incidences for each subtype of Sanfilippo syndrome:

At this time there is no treatment for transaldolase deficiency.

There is currently research being done to find treatments for transaldolase deficiency. A study done in 2009 used orally administered N-acetylcysteine on transaldolase deficient mice and it prevented the symptoms associated with the disease. N-acetylcysteine is a precursor for reduced glutathione, which is decreased in transaldolase deficient patients.

Onset of adult GM1 is between ages 3 and 30.

Symptoms include muscle atrophy, neurological complications that are less severe and progress at a slower rate than in other forms of the disorder, corneal clouding in some patients, and dystonia (sustained muscle contractions that cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures). Angiokeratomas may develop on the lower part of the trunk of the body. Most patients have a normal size liver and spleen.

Prenatal diagnosis is possible by measurement of Acid Beta Galactosidase in cultured amniotic cells.

The term fatty acid oxidation disorder (FAOD) is sometimes used, especially when there is an emphasis on the oxidation of the fatty acid.

In addition to the fetal complications, they can also cause complications for the mother during pregnancy.

Examples include:

- trifunctional protein deficiency

- MCADD, LCHADD, and VLCADD

Mutations in the "HADH" gene lead to inadequate levels of an enzyme called 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase. Medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids cannot be metabolized and processed properly without sufficient levels of this enzyme. As a result, these fatty acids are not converted to energy, which can lead to characteristic features of this disorder, such as lethargy and hypoglycemia. Medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids or partially metabolized fatty acids may build up in tissues and damage the liver, heart, and muscles, causing more serious complications.

This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means two copies of the gene in each cell are altered. Most often, the parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive disorder each carry one copy of the altered gene but do not show signs and symptoms of the disorder.

Since biotin is in many foods at low concentrations, deficiency is rare except in locations where malnourishment is very common. Pregnancy, however, alters biotin catabolism and despite a regular biotin intake, half of the pregnant women in the U.S. are marginally biotin deficient.