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.
American Stroke Association reports awareness, response key for Stroke in Children
February 17, 2014
San Diego, CA – Parents and healthcare professionals must be aware that children can have strokes and be prepared to respond to symptoms, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2014.
As in adults, warning signs of stroke in children are: sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg; sudden difficulty in speaking; sudden problems in seeing; sudden difficulty walking; dizziness; or sudden onset of headache.
Think FAST
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.
Acute Anemia linked to silent Strokes in Children
February 19, 2011
Los Angeles, CA – Silent strokes, which have no immediate symptoms but could cause long-term cognitive and learning deficits, occur in a significant number of severely anemic children, especially those with sickle cell disease, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2011.
One-quarter to one-third of children with sickle cell disease have evidence of silent strokes in their brains, according to Michael M. Dowling, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. [Read more]
