National HFI Awareness and Education Campaign for Healthcare Professional
Too many Australians with HFI go undiagnosed for years — not because their condition is untreatable, but because the clinicians they see have never heard of it. We are changing that.
Recognise
Equip clinicians to identify HFI symptoms and consider it in differential diagnosis
Refer
Know when and where to refer patients for genetic testing and specialist metabolic care
Resolve
Provide safe, accurate dietary guidance — and avoid the dangerous misdiagnosis pathways that put patients at risk
The Knowledge Gap That Causes Real Harm
HFI is rarely taught in medical or dietetic curricula. For most healthcare professionals, it simply does not exist as a consideration. The result: patients wait years — or decades — for a correct diagnosis, sustaining liver and kidney damage with every meal.
~1,300
Australians estimated to be living with HFI, most undiagnosed or diagnosed late
Decades
How long many people wait for a diagnosis — with damage accumulating the entire time
Zero
Structured national HFI education programs for healthcare professionals before this project
A Safety Issue, Not Just a Knowledge Gap
When a patient presents with suspected fructose problems, a clinician may order a hydrogen breath test — a standard diagnostic tool for fructose malabsorption. In a person with HFI, this test can trigger a severe toxic reaction, causing seizures, coma, and death. This risk can only be avoided if the clinician knows to consider HFI first. That is what this campaign teaches.
HFI SUPPORT AUSTRALIA
Who This Campaign Reaches
The campaign targets the healthcare professionals most likely to encounter a person with HFI — before, during, and after diagnosis.
General Practitioners
The first point of contact for most patients. Trained to recognise early warning signs and refer appropriately.
Paediatricians
HFI typically becomes symptomatic in infancy when fructose is first introduced. Paediatric recognition is critical.
Dieticians & Nutritionists
Dietary advice is the core treatment — and the core risk. Training ensures safe guidance that cannot cause harm.
Emergency Physicians
Acute HFI presentations can mimic liver failure or hypoglycaemic crisis. Emergency teams need to know the signs
Metabolic Specialists
The receiving end of referrals — and contributors of peer-reviewed content to validate the campaign's clinical accuracy.
Patients & Carers
A consumer-facing component equips people with HFI and their families to advocate for themselves in the healthcare system.
How We Will Deliver It
The campaign combines two complementary channels — ensuring that every healthcare professional in Australia, regardless of location, can access high-quality HFI education.
Online learning modules will be available from day one, accessible to professionals in every state and territory including rural and remote areas. Modules will cover HFI diagnosis, safe dietary management, dangerous contraindications, and referral pathways. All content will be peer-reviewed by metabolic specialists and informed by the expertise of our international HFI affiliates in the UK, France, and Italy.
In-person presentations will be held annually in all eight Australian capital cities, with expansion to regional centres through Primary Health Network partnerships from Year 2 onwards.
Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane | Perth | Adelaide | Canberra | Darwin | Hobart
All digital resources will remain freely and permanently accessible at hfisupport.org.au after the campaign concludes — ensuring the investment in education continues to benefit patients long into the future.
What We Will Deliver
- A suite of online learning modules for GPs, paediatricians, dieticians, and emergency professionals — freely accessible nationally and permanently hosted on hfisupport.org.au.
- Annual in-person presentations in all eight Australian capital cities, with regional expansion through Primary Health Network partnerships from Year 2.
- Peer-reviewed clinical guidelines and reference resources for HFI diagnosis, safe dietary management, and referral pathways — validated by Australian metabolic specialists and international HFI organisations.
- A consumer-facing awareness component to help people with HFI and their families navigate the healthcare system with confidence.
Built by People Who Understand HFI
This campaign is led by the HFI Support Australia board, whose professional backgrounds are unusually well-matched to the task:
Register your interest to be notified when our online modules and program launch. Your awareness of HFI could change — or save — a patient's life.
