Tennessee Department of Health says Newborn Screening is best way to detect Sickle Cell Disease and Other Diseases in Tennessee
September 18, 2015
Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Health is urging everyone be aware of Sickle Cell disease and take action to identify it early. Sickle Cell Disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders that affects nearly 100,000 Americans.
Sickle Cell Disease is common in African Americans, Hispanic Americans and people of Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian and Mediterranean descent.
Newborn Screening saves lives.
Expanded Newborn Screening Service speeds Test Results
April 21, 2015
Nashville, TN – The majority of babies born in Tennessee are healthy, free from diseases and disorders. A few, however, arrive with rare conditions or illnesses that may be treated more effectively if identified early.
For this reason, the Tennessee Department of Health has expanded its newborn screening laboratory testing to six days a week and is increasing testing to cover more disorders. [Read more]
Newborn Screening: 50 Years of Saving, Changing Lives
April 28, 2013
Nashville, TN – For the past half-century, millions of babies across America have been getting their heels pricked for a tiny drop of blood. The stick is part of a process known as newborn screening, which helps identify health problems quickly and has saved countless children from a variety of lifelong disabilities.
Newborn screening was developed by Robert Guthrie, MD, a researcher who was troubled by the early childhood health problems of his son and a niece. Guthrie developed a method in the late 1950s and early 1960s to analyze a spot of dried blood to identify a condition known as phenylketonuria.
Newborn Screening saves lives.
