New Born Screening

NEW BORN SCREENING PANEL – 50 METABOLIC DISORDERS BY MASS SPECTOMETRY

Reem Medical provides the best possible newborn screening test in Kuwait. Newborn screening test is a practice of testing every newborn for certain harmful or potentially fatal disorders that aren’t otherwise apparent at birth.

Why newborn screening lab test?

• Affected babies are identified quickly before symptoms appear
• Cases of disease are not missed
• The number of false-positive results is minimized
• Early treatment can begin, that prevents the negative and irreversible health outcomes for affected newborns
• Most treatments are inexpensive and may involve the addition of a vitamin to the diet, hormone supplementation, avoidance of certain foods and chemicals or dietary changes

Why early detection?

It could lead to lifelong complications, such as:

• Mental Retardation
• Motor Impairment
• Physical Disability

Who to screen NBS?

• Every Newborn (routine screening)
• High Risk
• Unexplained deaths of siblings
• Miscarriages and aborted fetuses
• Exhibit symptoms of IEMs
• Babies conceived by IVF
• Babies in NICU
• Sick Children

WHAT TO SCREEN (United Laboratories)

Acylcarnitine Profile (Tandem Mass Spectrometry)

• Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders
• Organic Acid Disorders

Amino Acid Profile (Tandem Mass Spectrometry)

• Amino Acid Disorders
• Urea Cycle Disorders

Biochemical screening (enzyme assay/enz. Immunoassay):

• Galactosemia
• Congenital Hypothyroidism
• Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
• G6PD Deficiency
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Biotinidase Deficiency

Blood Sample Collection

Sample: Blood spot is collected on filter paper

Condition:

• Baby needs to be fed at least 2-3 times before the specimen is taken.
• After 24 hours of birth.

TAT: 7 days