- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
A Test to Save Lives
What You Should Know About Comprehensive Newborn Screening
By Gwen Morrison
Newborn screening began in 1962 when babies were tested to identify those born with phenylketonuria (PKU). According to Saving Babies Through Screening, an organization in Port Angeles, Wash., dedicated to promoting newborn screening, at 24 hours to 48 hours old, babies are given a newborn screening test via a heel prick to screen for a variety of conditions that could cause death, mental retardation or physical disability. The test is capable of screening for up to 50 disorders, but different states require screening for different disorders, and most screen for less than eight.
The comprehensive newborn screening is comprised of state mandated screening of three to 10 disorders, plus supplemental screening of an additional 20, explains Don Chace, Ph.D., M.S.F.S., section chief of the division of bioanalytical chemistry and mass spectometry at Neo Gen Screening in Bridgeville, Pa. "Supplemental screening is almost always offered by private labs to supplement the disorders not screened for by a state program," he says.
Some states are close to offering the "comprehensive" package of screening for 30 diseases. "Comprehensive screening is never stagnant, as new diseases are becoming recognized, and with new methods to detect them and better treatments, they will be added to a supplemental panel," says Chace.
Newborn screening has been a great success for public health. However, for those families whose children fell through the cracks, it is seen as a massive failure. According to Save Babies Through Screening, there are numerous problems in the current screening programs that are not limited to simply adding more disorders to the test. It is vital that improvements be made to the current system to make the screening more effective in saving the lives of children, says the foundation.
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
