Feeding Impairments Associated with Plasma Sterols in Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome

Feeding impairment is common and complex in patients with SLOS. Our findings confirm that oral sensitivities, adverse feeding behaviors, and risk of oral phase dysphagia are amenable to quantitative evaluation and analysis. Feeding difficulties in children with SLOS are correlated with plasma sterol concentrations, suggesting a link between the biochemical severity of SLOS and feeding function. These findings expand the behavioral phenotype of SLOS and begin to provide insight into the biological causes of feeding difficulties.