Biokinetics of galactose in the homozygotes and heterozygotes of both forms of galactosemia.

41 heterozygoes and 4 homozygotes with a deficiency of galactose 1-phosphate uridyl transferase and also 3 heterozygotes and 1 homozygous patient with galactokinase deficiency were subjected to intravenous galactose loading tests with a dose of 350 mg/kg body weight in order to answer the question whether it is possible to detect the heterozygotes of both types of galactosemia by this method. For comparison, 38 healthy children and adolescents, 24 children with epidemic hepatitis and 4 children with cirrhosis of the liver, which was verified by histology, were included in the study. The elimination half-life (and also the other pharmacokinetic parameters as inaugurated by Dost) was the same for all the heterozygotes for both types of galactosemia almost without exception, and for the healthy cs, children in the acute stages of hepatitis and patients with cirrhosis of the liver was prolonged 2 to 5 times the normal. In patients with hepatitis, however, the elimination half-life was normal before the transaminases. Accordingly, the galactose clearance was decreased to half and one-fourth of the normal. Hence, heterozygotes with galactosemia cannot be detected with galactose loading tests.