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Previous Volume 356:2321-2322 May 31, 2007 Number 22 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Ammonia is a toxic compound produced in the body from the catabolism of amino acids and protein. Hyperammonemia can damage muscle and brain.¹ The body converts ammonia to urea in the liver by means of the urea-cycle enzymes, and the urea so generated is subsequently eliminated in the urine as nitrogenous waste. This essential process is necessary for the maintenance of health.

Metabolic disorders are associated with a defect or deficiency of each of the six enzymes in the urea cycle (Figure 1). These inborn errors of metabolism disrupt the normal processing of ammonia and result in hyperammonemia. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

From the Amino Acid Disorder Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

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