Newborn Screening

Newborn Screening is simple test done in the hospital prior to your baby's discharge. This is a test to determine if your child has a congenital metabolic disorder or "inborn error of metabolism" which may not be apparent at birth. Some may be fatal and some may cause mental retardation.

A heel prick is done and actually 4 drops of blood are needed to be placed on a special absorbent filter card. It is dried and then sent to a Newborn Screening Center. A negative result means that the newborn screening is normal. A positive result means that your baby has a possibility that he has the disease and that it is important to go to the Newborn Screening Center for the confirmatory tests. The results are released within a week if your child tested positive. The parents are notified immediately by phone call. On the other hand, it takes a month for the written results to come out if your baby tested negative.

In the Philippines, the following are being tested in the Newborn Screening: congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, galactosemia, phenylketonuria and glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.