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3 answers to questions about newborn screening to give moms more peace of mind

What is neonatal screening?

Neonatal disease screening refers to the screening of some serious congenital metabolic and heel prick test endocrine diseases by blood tests, so that children can be diagnosed and treated early.

To avoid growth and intellectual developmental disorders, and even death due to brain, liver and kidney damage.

Screening for neonatal diseases includes congenital genetic metabolic diseases and congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria and other hearing disorders.

Why is it important to screen for neonatal diseases?

Some congenital metabolic disorders, usually occurring in the first few months of life and in newborns, have no specific symptoms and are difficult for doctors to diagnose.

If left untreated, these disorders can cause irreversible damage to the brain or other organs, resulting in significant intellectual or other disabilities: if diagnosed and effectively treated within the first month of life, the vast majority of children with normal physical and mental development can reach normal levels for children of their age.

Neonatal screening is the collection of blood from newborns for laboratory testing to detect these diseases early and provide early treatment to prevent children from being disabled in precious time.

How are newborns screened for disease?

When a newborn is 72 hours old and fully nursed, a blood spot is collected from the lateral edge of the foot and sent to the Zhengzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital screening center for testing after it has dried.

If a suspicious case is found, the center will contact the parents in a timely manner to review the case and provide effective treatment as soon as the disease is confirmed

The diameter of each blood spot is required to be >8mm, otherwise there will be a false negative, so we hope parents can understand and support us.

Does the heel prick test for bilirubin?

A blood sample from the heel can be taken. This is also known as an SB test or a bili test. This will gauge the so-called serum bilirubin level and demonstrate whether your kid has jaundice or, in some situations, whether it is growing worse.

A heel stick, does it hurt?

The most common and painful operation done on preterm and full-term newborns is the heel stick. For pain treatment, a variety of nonpharmacologic techniques have been employed.

What does a pinprick test measure?

A skin prick test, often known as a puncture or scratch test, looks for simultaneous, rapid allergic reactions to up to 50 different chemicals. This test is typically used to diagnose allergies to foods, pollen, mold, pet dander, and dust mites.