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Newborn Screening
Newborn screening programs across the United States currently screen 4 million infants each year. This public health program detects treatable disorders in newborns, allowing treatment to begin often before symptoms or permanent problems occur. Newborn screening not only saves lives but can also improve the health and quality of life for children and their families.
Within the first 24 to 48 hours after birth, babies undergo a simple heel stick and a few drops of blood are collected on a special paper card. Providers test those dried blood spots for a variety of different congenital disorders, or conditions that are present when the baby is born. Newborns are also screened for hearing disorders and certain serious heart problems using methods other than dried blood spots.
NICHD has been at the forefront of research related to newborn screening since the Institute's early days, with notable success. Visit the Brief History of Newborn Screening section for more information.
NICHD research on newborn screening aims to:
- Improve existing screening techniques and technologies or develop new ones.
- Expand the number of conditions for which screening tests are available.
- Develop new treatments and disease-management strategies for conditions that can be detected through newborn screening, but for which treatments are not yet available.
General Information
In newborn screening, a few drops of blood from a newborn can help detect serious but treatable conditions so that treatment can begin before symptoms arise.
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Newborn screening detects disabling or possibly fatal conditions early enough so that treatments can reduce disability or death from that condition.
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Each state decides specifically which conditions its newborns are screened for, but a government committee of experts recommends screening for more than 30 core and 26 secondary conditions.
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Nearly all of the 4 million U.S. infants born each year are screened in the first 24 to 48 hours after birth. About one out of 300 newborns is later diagnosed with a treatable condition.
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Most newborn screening relies on collecting a few drops of blood, but can also involve playing sounds, and placing a sensor on the skin.
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Screening tests do not diagnose a problem, but detect that one might exist. If a screen is positive, additional tests are needed to confirm and diagnose a specific condition.
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NICHD’s newborn screening efforts include the first state/national programs to screen for phenylketonuria (PKU) and congenital hyperthyroidism, once major causes of disability.
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Research
NICHD newborn screening research includes screening technology and detectable disorders.
Find a Study
NICHD conducts and supports a variety of clinical research projects related to newborn screening.
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More Information
Find answers to other common questions about newborn screening, such as what happens to a baby’s blood sample after the screening is done.
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Links to websites of groups that study or provide information about newborn screening.
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