Newborn Screening
Newborn Screening Every newborn baby in an American Hospital has his or her heel pricked and several drops of their blood is taken for genetic testing.
- Did you know that a baby that appears to be healthy at birth could have an underlying genetic disorder?
- Did you know that parents could pass on a genetic disorder to their baby without even knowing they are carriers for that genetic disease?
- Did you know that currently there are no national guidelines to newborn screening so depending on which state you live in determines how many tests are performed and which diseases those are for?
- Did you know that currently most states test for 30 genetic disorders but there are many, many more that they could be testing for?
- Do you know which genetic tests a newborn child in your state is tested for?
- Did you know that for $25-$100, you could request additional genetic tests to be done at birth and sent to a private lab?
With early diagnosis, there are certain genetic diseases/disorders that can be treated early to help prevent physical problems, developmental delays, mental retardation, and even in some cases, death.
Currently there are not tests available for all known genetic diseases/disorders, however, there are many genetic tests out there that aren’t being utilized by many states in their newborn screening programs.
Please help support more genetic testing for newborn screenings!
Links
American Academy of Pediatrics
Save Babies Through Screening Foundation, Inc.
National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center