The community expands program to detect up 19 diseases with the “test of the heel” babies.

Lasquetty explained on Sunday that from now on 14 new diseases may detect metabolic.

-The Hospital Gregorio Marañón analyzes samples of all the newborn babies of the region

-early detection and rapid medical intervention prevent brain damage, reduce mortality and possible disabilities

– 1.5 million blood samples from newborns have been analysed since 1986, and some disease was detected in more than 1,200

Madrid, October of 2011- the community of Madrid has been extended to 19 endocrino-metabólicas diseases which can be detected in the proof of the heel that is done to the newborn. This has occurred thanks to the technology of tandem mass spectrometry incorporated into laboratory screening Neonatal of Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón, belonging to the public network of hospitals in the region, as presented this morning the Health MinisterJavier Fernández-Lasquetty. The Gregorio Maranon hospital performs screening all the newborns of the community of Madrid.

With the addition of 14 new diseases the culmination of the process of screening expanded from congenital disorders of the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids and organic acids ” to all those born in the community of Madrid, whether in public or private maternity. This completion has been possible thanks to the collaboration between the Directorates-General of public health and hospitals of the Ministry of health with laboratory screening Neonatal hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón.

As said Elena Dulín, Director of the laboratory of Neonatal screening of hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón, the newborn screening program is particularly important because its objective is the early identification and treatment of those children affected by a particular gene, endocrino-metabólico State. With adequate, timely medical intervention can prevent brain damage, reduce the morbidity and mortality and possible disabilities associated with these diseases ”.

New diseases

So far, the analysis of the blood of the proof of the heel allows early diagnosis of five congenital diseases: congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, PKU, sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis. Thanks to new technology incorporated, and with a unique extraction of blood taken from the heel of the newborn, you can detect 14 new diseases, expanding catalog of inherited diseases that can be treated early 19: those related to the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids and organic acids.

The results of the tests referred to parents from the Neonatal screening of the Gregorio Maranon hospital laboratory. When it detects illness communicates immediately clinical follow-up units and parents that come to the referral hospital to evaluate the child and initiate treatment and necessary follow-up.

A single extraction of blood

The incorporation of the technology of spectrometry masses in tandem in the laboratory of Neonatal screening of hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón allows to simplify the strategy in neonatal screening, and extract a single sample of blood from the heel of the newborn baby instead of two as they did so far. This new measure guarantees a coverage of 100% of the infants, to be held within the same maternity leave where is born the baby from the 48 hours of birth and always prior to hospital discharge, and avoid a second puncture to the newborn baby, that was done in health centres.

The strategy for the removal of single sample from the 48 hours of life, can shorten the age to the detection of phenylketonuria, and new diseases included in the programme.

Clinical monitoring and treatment of the newborn infants detected in neonatal screening with the new built-in diseases centralize into two functional units located in Ramón y Cajal y La Paz hospitals in the North; and in October 12 hospitals and child Jesus to the South.

The Madrid screening programme

In 1986 this public health programme is centralises hospital Gregorio Marañón, reference detection Center analyzes the collected samples to all newborns in Madrid public and private hospitals. Since then, in the laboratory of Neonatal screening at this Madrid hospital has been discussed a million and a half of blood samples of the newborns, and has been detected more than 1,200 with illness endocrino-metabólica.