Ensuring the Health of Newborns Through Screening Tests
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Ensuring the Health of Newborns Through Screening Tests

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Sofía Garduño By Sofía Garduño | Journalist & Industry Analyst - Fri, 03/24/2023 - 16:42

The National Perinatology Institute (INPer) applies up to five types of screening tests to diagnose as early as possible health conditions that put newborns at risk. Newborn screening tests are the only way in which some health conditions can be detected before symptoms appear.

“In Mexico, public health institutions apply neonatal screening free of charge to detect diseases that may not be apparent at birth, but that put the quality of life or the life of the newborn at risk,” says Montserrat Flores, Coordinator of Comprehensive Newborn Screening, INPer.

Neonatal screening is an important preventive medicine tool. Congenital and hereditary conditions in newborns may not be readily apparent as most of them do not show symptoms immediately after birth or in the first days of life, says SEMAR. Newborn screening tests can ensure the correct functioning of the metabolic, auditive, visual, cardiovascular and motor systems.

There are over 700 metabolic disorders that can affect babies. Metabolic screening helps to identify diseases such as congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria, galactosemia, cystic fibrosis, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and glucose deficiency, among others. In Mexico, there is one case of metabolic disease per 1,000 newborns, with congenital hypothyroidism being the most common one. Neonatal screening for the detection of congenital hypothyroidism is required by law for all maternal and child care centers and must be carried out on all children born in the country, as reported by CNEGSR.

Critical congenital heart defects (CHDs) are also identified through cardiac screening. Newborn screening for critical CHDs involves a pulse oximetry test to estimate the amount of oxygen in a baby’s blood, according to the CDC. Meanwhile, the ophthalmological screening examines the ocular structures, eyelids, cornea and crystalline lens, while the hearing screening identifies any alteration in the auditory canal or inner ear.

Furthermore, at INPer, the motor system screening is applied to premature newborns weighing less than 1,500g. Mexico sees between 180,000 and 200,000 live births with less than 37 weeks of gestation each year, as reported by Mexico’s Ministry of Health. Newborn screening tests can give these babies a chance to live without a disability or irreversible mental problems. By identifying these problems just after the baby is born, treatment can start as early as possible to prevent or decrease further complications.

 

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