A Call For More Newborn Screening

March Of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer Howse Discusses The Need For Mandatory Newborn Baby Screening

(CBS)  Many diseases in newborn babies are treatable and, often times, curable, but babies aren't always tested.

The March of Dimes released their annual newborn screening report card today, tallying how many babies live in places where newborns are automatically screened for 29 serious conditions.

March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer Howse discussed the need for mandatory newborn screening across the U.S. on Wednesday's The Early Show.

The conditions involved in newborn screening are rare, but can be very severe. These tests are important because each of the 29 conditions on the March of Dimes list is either curable or highly treatable as long as it is found within 48 hours after birth.

The test is a blood sample done by pricking the baby's heel. In states and hospitals where this test isn't mandatory, it will cost $100 to $150 if your insurance doesn't already cover it.

The diseases that the March of Dimes calls to be tested for are mostly genetic diseases, such as PKU. PKU is an enzyme deficiency and can have terrible consequences if it's not detected early.

Howse said, "If (PKU) is not corrected, then toxins build up in the baby's system and it can be fatal, or it can result in something really terrible like severe mental retardation. But the good news is it can be detected early and treated."

Howse stressed that expecting parents should confirm with their doctor whether or not their child will be tested.

"It's very important for parents to ask their doctor. They can contact the health department. They can contact the March of Dimes website. Find out before you get to the hospital," she said.

This year's report card showed that 41 states screen for 21 or more of the diseases and 13 states and the District of Columbia test for all 29 conditions. The rest of the states all "making progress," according to Howse, but 500,000 newborns still aren't tested annually.

For more information click on the following Web sites:

Caring for Your Baby: Testing the Newborn for Metabolic Defects

How Does Your State Measure Up?

Newborn Screening: State Map Page

[talkingham]

No hypotoad, it's just a matter of cheap a. s. s. conservatives and insurance companies and doctors who would rather send a child home with a condition that can cause a life of horrible and insanely expensive disabilities instead of conducting a few tests that add maybe 5 or 10 dollars to the cost of a hospital stay. You'd think they'd rather do this to avoid lawsuits but then the insurance companies wouldn't charge the huge malpractice premiums and docs and hospitals couldn't inflate it in their costs. the med system in this country is as corrupt as the political system.

[hypnotoad72]

Is this more liberal flapdoodle? "Womb to the tomb" entitlement stuff?

Nobody is entitled to anything.

How much of this post is sarcasm and how much is serious I'll leave up to you. You might be surprised if you knew...

[hprkm]

I was so happy to see Dr. Jennifer Howse on the Early Show this morning, and the topic of newborn screenings. My daughter was born in 1987, and at that time it was a state law in all states that babies be tested for 3 diseases, PKU, Galactoseimia, and TSH for throid function. My daughters tests were never done as a newborn and after 3 1/2 months of trying to figure out what was wrong with her, it was finally found that her newborn screenings were never done and that her thyroid didn't work and that she should have been put on thyroid hormones right away and she would have been fine, but since so much time had gone by before it was found out, she is now mentally disabled and is considered autistic. I am very happy anytime this subject gets national attention and that there are now many more things that can be tested for, but,along with all this progress, parents simply need to be told to make sure that these tests are done before they leave the hospital. Just have a nurse double check the records before you take your newborn home.









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