Identifying hyperphagia in your patients
Hyperphagia is a common feature in people living with POMC, PCSK1, or LEPR deficiency1
Hyperphagia and obesity due to POMC, PCSK1, or LEPR deficiency are caused by impairment in the MC4R pathway. The MC4R pathway is a key signaling pathway that regulates hunger, satiety, and energy expenditure. If left untreated or unmanaged, hyperphagia and obesity can intensify physical and mental challenges for people with POMC, PCSK1, or LEPR deficiency and caregivers.1,2
Hyperphagia is a pathological, insatiable hunger that is differentiated from other overeating behaviors and disorders by its severity and persistence3
According to 2023 AAP and 2023 OMA guidelines, managing hyperphagia can be challenging and may require the use of pharmacotherapy7,8
They took me away when I was 4 years old, claiming that my mother was feeding me to make me fat, and they took me to some sort of psychosomatic facility for over a year or a year and a half, where I was supposed to lose weight. That did not work either.
— Person who is living with POMC deficiency
It sometimes felt as if I were an animal that was super hungry and could only think about food, and when I wanted to eat something, I searched until I found it.
— Person who is living with POMC deficiency
When I would start eating something, I’d eat the whole thing. No matter what sort of package it was, or whatever, I’d always eat the whole thing. I also ate it at an enormous tempo. It was really terrible.
— Person who is living with LEPR deficiency
