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Part of Disease prevention and surveillance

Alberta Newborn Screening Program

Newborn blood spot screening helps find conditions in infants that can be treated early to support healthy development.

Overview

The Alberta Newborn Screening Program (known formerly as the Newborn Metabolic Screening (NMS) Program) screens for 22 treatable conditions:

  • 16 metabolic conditions
  • 2 endocrine conditions
  • cystic fibrosis
  • sickle cell disease
  • severe combined immunodeficiency
  • spinal muscular atrophy

The Alberta Newborn Screening Program uses a blood spot sample collected from a heel poke to screen newborns for conditions that can be treated early. Early treatment can help prevent health problems, improve a baby's health and may even save a baby's life. For more information, see Newborn Blood Spot Screening.

Through the Alberta Newborn Screening Program, Alberta Health determines which conditions are screened and Alberta Health Services delivers the program. Program resources are available through Alberta Health Services.

Conditions screened

Metabolic conditions

  • Biotinidase deficiency (BIOT)
  • Carnitine uptake defect (CUD)
  • Citrullinemia (CIT)
  • Glutaric acidemia type 1 (GA1)
  • Classic galactosemia (GALT)
  • 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase (HMG) deficiency
  • Isovaleric acidemia (IVA)
  • Long chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD) deficiency
  • Medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency
  • Methylmalonic acidemia (MMA)
  • Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD)
  • Propionic acidemia (PA)
  • Phenylketonuria (PKU)
  • Tri-functional protein (TFP) deficiency
  • Tyrosinemia Type 1 (TYR1)
  • Very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency

Endocrine conditions

  • Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)
  • Congenital hypothyroidism (CH)

Other conditions

  • Cystic fibrosis (CF)
  • Sickle cell disease (SCD)
  • Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)
  • Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)

Resources

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