Metabolic disorders

Article By:

King, Donald West, Jr. Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Last reviewed:June 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.417400

Show previous versions

• Metabolic disorders, published June 2014:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

Pathologies of metabolism principally involving an imbalance in nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, or carbohydrates. Metabolic disorders occur when abnormal biochemical reactions disrupt the normal processes of metabolism. In general, metabolic disorders are usually associated with either a biochemical deficiency or excess that results in an imbalance in a particular metabolic pathway (Fig. 1). All metabolic disorders have a genetic background, and some of them are expressed as specific genetic diseases. Metabolic processes throughout life are strongly influenced by the genetic component of aging, by diet, and by various types of environmental injury, including infectious agents (for example, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites), physical agents (for example, radiation and temperature), and chemical agents in the environment. See also: Amino acid metabolism; Carbohydrate metabolism; Energy metabolism; Genetics; Lipid metabolism; Metabolism

The content above is only an excerpt.