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Final Thoughts

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Newborn screening is the practice of testing a newborn for certain damaging or potentially fatal disorders that are not necessarily evident at birth. Newborn screening tests are very important for newborns as parents can pass along the gene for a particular disorder not knowing that they are even carriers of the disorder.
Several disorders regularly included in newborn screening programs include PKU, hypothyroidism, CAH, sickle cell anemia, galactosemia, cystic fibrosis, and hearing screenings. If the results you receive back from the newborn screening tests are abnormal, do not become overly alarmed. There are several reasons why a newborn screening test may need to be repeated. The tests only provide preliminary information that will need to be followed by more specific diagnostic testing. Most newborns are given a clean bill of health after they have been tested.

Resources

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/298_834.asp

http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/medical/newborn_screening_tests.html

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/newborn/newbornscreening.html

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