Maryland newborns now screened for 4 additional conditions under state newborn screening program

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (WDVM) — The Maryland Department of Health announced that newborns will now be screened for four additional conditions under Maryland’s newborn screening program.

Newborn screening helps identify certain rare conditions so that treatment can start immediately after birth. These screenings are performed by obtaining a few drops of blood from the baby’s heel.

The four new disorders added to the panel, bring the total to 61, including Pompe disease, Fabry Disease, Mucopolysaccharidosis and Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

“Fabry disease is related to how we process fats. Pompe and MPS type 1 is how we process sugars, how we store them, how we break them down and SMA affects the nerves in our body,” said Dr. Mutsa Nyakabu.

The addition of these tests puts Maryland in the top five states in the nation for the number of screening tests available to newborns.