- Acute Flaccid Myelitis
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Arteriovenous Malformations
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Back Pain
- Brain Aneurysm
- Brain Tumors
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Childhood Brain Tumors
- Delirium
- Dementia
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Ischemic Stroke
- Memory
- Meningitis
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Movement Disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Neuroblastoma
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome
- Speech and Language Problems in Children
- Stroke
- Transient Ischemic Attack
- Tremor
- Walking Problems
- West Nile Virus
- A1C
- Blood Glucose
- Diabetes
- Diabetes and Pregnancy
- Diabetes Complications
- Diabetes in Children and Teens
- Diabetes Medicines
- Diabetes Type 1
- Diabetes Type 2
- Diabetic Diet
- Diabetic Eye Problems
- Diabetic Foot
- Diabetic Heart Disease
- Diabetic Kidney Problems
- Diabetic Nerve Problems
- How to Prevent Diabetes
- Hyperglycemia
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Prediabetes
- Abortion
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Diseases
- Breast Reconstruction
- Breastfeeding
- Cervical Cancer
- Cervical Cancer Screening
- Cesarean Delivery
- Childbirth
- Ectopic Pregnancy
- Endometriosis
- Female Infertility
- Health Problems in Pregnancy
- High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy
- HIV and Pregnancy
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- HPV
- Hysterectomy
- Infections and Pregnancy
- Mammography
- Mastectomy
- Menopause
- Menstruation
- Miscarriage
- Ovarian Cancer
- Ovarian Cysts
- Ovarian Disorders
- Pelvic Floor Disorders
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
- Pelvic Pain
- Period Pain
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy and Drug Use
- Pregnancy and Opioids
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Prenatal Care
- Prenatal Testing
- Primary Ovarian Insufficiency
- Sexual Problems in Women
- Stillbirth
- Teenage Pregnancy
- Trichomoniasis
- Tubal Ligation
- Uterine Cancer
- Uterine Diseases
- Uterine Fibroids
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Vaginal Cancer
- Vaginal Diseases
- Vaginitis
- Vulvar Cancer
- Vulvar Disorders
- Yeast Infections
- Alcohol
- Calcium
- Child Nutrition
- Cholesterol
- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know
- Cholesterol Medicines
- DASH Eating Plan
- Eating Disorders
- Food Allergy
- HDL: The “Good” Cholesterol
- High Cholesterol in Children and Teens
- How to Lower Cholesterol
- How to Lower Cholesterol with Diet
- Infant and Newborn Nutrition
- LDL: The “Bad” Cholesterol
- Malabsorption Syndromes
- Nutrition for Older Adults
- Pregnancy and Nutrition
- Toddler Nutrition
- Triglycerides
- VLDL Cholesterol
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
- Ataxia Telangiectasia
- Brain Malformations
- Cerebral Palsy
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
- Chiari Malformation
- Cleft Lip and Palate
- Color Blindness
- Congenital Heart Defects
- Craniofacial Abnormalities
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- Friedreich Ataxia
- Genetic Counseling
- Hemophilia
- Huntington’s Disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Neural Tube Defects
- Neurofibromatosis
- Newborn Screening
- Osteogenesis Imperfecta
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Pregnancy and Medicines
- Rett Syndrome
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Spina Bifida
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Tay-Sachs Disease
- Tourette Syndrome
- Tuberous Sclerosis
- Usher Syndrome
- Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Allergy
- Animal Bites
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Aplastic Anemia
- Asthma
- Asthma in Children
- Childhood Leukemia
- Childhood Vaccines
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- COVID-19 Vaccines
- Cryptosporidiosis
- Eosinophilic Disorders
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Hay Fever
- HIV
- HIV and Infections
- HIV in Women
- Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Infectious Diseases
- Infectious Mononucleosis
- Juvenile Arthritis
- Kawasaki Disease
- Lymphedema
- Lymphoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Pemphigus
- Pneumocystis Infections
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Tonsillitis
- Vaccines
- Viral Infections
- Adhesions
- Ankle Injuries and Disorders
- Arm Injuries and Disorders
- Back Injuries
- Brachial Plexus Injuries
- Burns
- Chest Injuries and Disorders
- Concussion
- CPR
- Dislocated Shoulder
- Dislocations
- Elbow Injuries and Disorders
- Eye Injuries
- Facial Injuries and Disorders
- Finger Injuries and Disorders
- Foot Injuries and Disorders
- Fractures
- Hand Injuries and Disorders
- Heel Injuries and Disorders
- Hip Injuries and Disorders
- Inhalation Injuries
- Insect Bites and Stings
- Jaw Injuries and Disorders
- Knee Injuries and Disorders
- Leg Injuries and Disorders
- Mosquito Bites
- Neck Injuries and Disorders
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Shoulder Injuries and Disorders
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Sprains and Strains
- Tick Bites
- Toe Injuries and Disorders
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Wrist Injuries and Disorders
- Acute Bronchitis
- Bird Flu
- Chronic Bronchitis
- COPD
- COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019)
- Croup
- E-Cigarettes
- Fistulas
- Flu
- Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
- H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
- Legionnaires’ Disease
- Lung Cancer
- Mesothelioma
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections
- Sleep Apnea
- Smoking
- Tuberculosis
- Whooping Cough
- Anatomy
- Assisted Reproductive Technology
- Birth Control
- Chlamydia Infections
- Circumcision
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Genital Herpes
- Genital Warts
- Gonorrhea
- Herpes Simplex
- Infertility
- Male Infertility
- Penis Disorders
- Prostate Cancer
- Prostate Cancer Screening
- Prostate Diseases
- Reproductive Hazards
- Sexual Health
- Sexual Problems in Men
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Syphilis
- Testicular Cancer
- Testicular Disorders
- Vasectomy
- Abdominal Pain
- Bad Breath
- Bleeding
- Breathing Problems
- Bruises
- Chest Pain
- Choking
- Chronic Pain
- Constipation
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness and Vertigo
- Edema
- Fainting
- Fever
- Frostbite
- Gas
- Gastrointestinal Bleeding
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Heat Illness
- Hives
- Hypothermia
- Indigestion
- Itching
- Jaundice
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Pain
- Rare Diseases
- Raynaud’s Disease
- Sciatica
- Speech and Communication Disorders
- Stuttering
Newborn Screening
Summary
Your newborn infant has screening tests before leaving the hospital. There may be different tests depending on the state where you live. They include:
- Tests on a few drops of blood from pricking the baby’s heel. The tests look for inherited disorders. All states test for at least 30 of these conditions.
- A hearing test that measures the baby’s response to sound
- A skin test that measures the level of oxygen in the blood. This can tell if the baby has a congenital heart defect.
These tests look for serious medical conditions. If not treated, some of these conditions can cause lifelong health problems. Others can cause early death. With early diagnosis, treatment can begin right away, before serious problems can occur or become permanent.
If a screening shows that your baby might have a condition, the health care provider or the state health department will call you. It is important to follow up quickly. Further testing can verify whether your baby has the condition. If so, treatment should start right away.
NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Genetics
- 21-hydroxylase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- 3-methylglutaconyl-CoA hydratase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Adenosine deaminase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Alpha thalassemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Arginase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Argininosuccinic aciduria: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Barth syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Beta thalassemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Beta-ketothiolase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Biotinidase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Citrullinemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 11-beta-hydroxylase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Congenital hypothyroidism: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Costeff syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Critical congenital heart disease: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Cystic fibrosis: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Dilated cardiomyopathy with ataxia syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Ethylmalonic encephalopathy: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Galactosemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Glutamate formiminotransferase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Glutaric acidemia type I: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Glutaric acidemia type II: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Glutathione synthetase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Histidinemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Homocystinuria: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- HSD10 disease: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Hyperlysinemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Hypermethioninemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Hyperprolinemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Inherited thyroxine-binding globulin deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Isobutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Isovaleric acidemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Krabbe disease: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Maple syrup urine disease: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Methylmalonic acidemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Nonketotic hyperglycinemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Ornithine translocase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Phenylketonuria: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Primary carnitine deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Short/branched chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Sickle cell disease: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Succinate-CoA ligase deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Tyrosinemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- ZAP70-related severe combined immunodeficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
Encyclopedia
- Aminoaciduria Medical Encyclopedia
- Apgar score Medical Encyclopedia
- Hemoglobin electrophoresis Medical Encyclopedia
- Methylmalonic acid blood test Medical Encyclopedia
- Neonatal cystic fibrosis screening test Medical Encyclopedia
- Plasma amino acids Medical Encyclopedia
- Serum phenylalanine screening Medical Encyclopedia
- TORCH Screen Medical Encyclopedia
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Neonatal Screening National Institutes of Health
Find an Expert
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- March of Dimes Foundation March of Dimes Foundation
- National Human Genome Research Institute National Human Genome Research Institute
Specifics
- Galactosemia Tests National Library of Medicine
- Hearing Tests for Children National Library of Medicine
- Newborn Screening Tests for Your Baby March of Dimes Foundation
- Phenylketonuria (PKU) Screening National Library of Medicine
- Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease in Newborns American Heart Association
Reference Desk
- GeneReviews Glossary National Center for Biotechnology Information
Related Issues
- How Are My Newborn’s Screening Results Used? Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Start Here
- How Is Newborn Screening Done? Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Newborn Screening Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Newborn Screening Tests Nemours Foundation
- What Disorders Are Newborns Screened for in the United States? Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Patient Handouts
- Newborn screening tests Medical Encyclopedia