Many parents fail to do screening tests for newborns, say doctors

Chennai: Have you ever wondered whether your baby is born with any kind of abnormality?  With the possibility of newborn screening tests, diseases can be identified in babies at an early stage.

Despite some doctors making all attempts to educate the public on the importance of screening tests for babies, many parents fail to ensure it is done.

With a number of babies today being born with different kinds of abnormalities, creating awareness on the importance of screening is essentially being felt as the need of the hour.

Newborn screening has three main components, namely hearing, physical examination (heart sounds, femoral pulses, hips, red reflexes) and blood spot testing.

“Screening identifies a disease before any clinical signs appear. It helps in the early diagnosis, which in turn, means early treatment of the particular condition prior to any permanent damage taking place,” said Gopinath Rao, Neonatal Pediatrician, Motherhood Hospital.

“Early screening also helps to save parents from burning a hole in their pockets if their child later shows signs of disease and organ damage,” he added. “The government still hasn’t come up with any sort of recommendations for screening tests, including screening for deafness. As private hospitals are all slowly starting to ensure that all babies are screened, the government may soon start it as well,” said a health official.

With India known to see around 25 million births in India every year, it has been found that the incidence of metabolic disorders is about 1 in 3,000 babies, which means there may be just over 8,000 babies who are expected to have an abnormality.

“The timing of screening is important. Hearing and physical examination screening should be done after 24 hours of birth and the blood spot testing can be done as soon as possible after 72 hours of birth. The timing is essential. The screening should neither be done too early or late,” said Naresh Shanmugam, Pediatric Hepatologist, Global Hospitals.

“I had attended a programme that was held for expecting parents and it was there that I learnt of the importance of screening. Until then, I had no idea that something like that existed. It is essential that awareness is created on the same,” said Shradha P, a mother of a seven-month-old baby.