The newborn screening program at IWK Hospital in Halifax is now testing for five new conditions.
Clinic coordinator Rachel Mador-House says these are routine blood tests done when the baby is 24 to 48 hours old.
The newest tests were added on February 12th.
“They all cause a problem with babies’ ability to metabolize food properly, so the body metabolizes food in order to get energy and make the substances necessary for proper growth and development, and to eliminate waste products,” says Mador-House.
She continues, adding that inability to metabolize food leads to “a decrease in energy and the substances necessary for proper growth.”
Mador-House says this blood panel test is not mandatory and parents have the option to decline.
“However, we recommend that because it’s a really simple, little blood test, we recommend it’s done on all newborns,” says Mador-House. “Especially because the diseases that we screen for have treatments available.”
Those diseases include Cystic Fibrosis, and various blood disorders.
Mador-House says early identification and treatment leads to longer, healthier lives, and a reduced number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for children who are diagnosed.
For more information, you can visit their website http://www.iwk.nshealth.ca/newbornscreening/.
