Newborn Screening
What is the Apgar Scale?
Right after birth, your baby will get an Apgar score. It is a simple way to rate your newborn’s health and to find out if the baby needs any emergency treatment. At one minute and again at five minutes after birth, your baby is evaluated for:
- Heart rate.
- Breathing.
- Muscle tone.
- Skin color.
- Reflex response.
Each factor is given a score between zero and two, then the scores are added. Most newborns score between seven and 10 and don’t need emergency treatment such as help breathing.
Did You Know that Every Newborn Baby Needs a Newborn Screening?
Every newborn in Ohio must have a medical screening for 30 disorders as part of the mandated screening.
Why Does My Baby Need to be Screened?
State law requires all newborns be screened for the 30 mandated disorders. The only reason your baby would not be screened is for religious reasons. If any of the conditions from the screening are not treated, serious health problems could arise.
When and How is the Screening Done?
All infants are screened 24 hours after birth. A few drops of blood are taken from your newborn’s heel. Your doctor or nurse will tell you the results of the tests and if there is anything else you need to do. Your baby may need to have a repeat screening if he showed a questionable result, if there was a mistake in the way the blood was collected and/or if you leave the hospital less than 24 hours after giving birth.
How Do I Find out my Baby’s Results?
Your baby’s doctor receives the results. You should ask about the results when you take the baby to the doctor for a regular checkup. In the tables below you can find the numerous disorders that are screened for under state law.
Listing of Disorders
| PKU (Phenylketonuria) | Homocystinuria |
| Galactosemia | Hypothyroidism |
| MCAD (Medium-chain Acyl-CoA Dehydro-genase Deficiency) | Sickle Cell Disease (Hemogloblin-opathies) |
| MSUD (Maple Syrup Urine Disease) | Isovaleric Acidemia |
| Propionic Acidemia | Methylmalolllc Acidemia |
| Citrullinemia | Argininosuccinic Acidemia |
| Congenital Adrenal Hypoplasia | Biotinidase Deficiency |
Fatty Oxidation Disorders
| Very Long Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency |
| Long Chain Hydroxyacyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency |
| Short Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency |
| Glutaric Acidemia Type II |
| Canitine Palmitoyl Transferase Deficiency Type I and II |
| Carnitine/Acylcarnitine Translocase Deficiency |
| Trifunctional Protein Deficiency |
Amino and Organic Acid Disorders
| ||||
| Multiple CoA Carboxylase Deficiency | ||||
| 3-Hydroxy-3- Methylglutarly-CoA Lyase Deficiency | ||||
| 2-Methylbutyryl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency | ||||
| Isobutyryl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency |