What disorders can Newborn Screening identify?
NeoGen Labs tests babies for over 42 metabolic disorders from a dried blood spot. Some of these are described below. These disorders are present at birth, rare, and often serious. Some are passed on from parents while others are caused by a chemical imbalance. Some are life-threatening while others may slow down physical development or cause mental retardation or other problems. These disorders can affect a child early in life, often within the first few days or weeks of life. This is why it is important to identify babies with these disorders as early as possible. Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD) results when the babys body does not break down parts of a food protein causing the urine to smell like maple syrup. Treatment with a special diet can prevent mental retardation and othercomplications. Galactosemia (ga-LAK-toe-see-me-a) results when milk sugar (galactose) is not broken down due to the lack of a chemical in the body. A diet low in galactose can prevent irreversible damage and
