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Newborn Screening Ontario
About Screening

Diseases Screened

Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO) screens newborn blood spot samples for 6 groups of diseases.

The diseases are:

  • Metabolic Diseases - where the body is unable to break down certain substances in foods, like fats, proteins or sugars
  • Endocrine Diseases - where the body produces too much or too little of certain hormones
  • Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) -  which affects the movement of oxygen in the blood
  • Cystic Fibrosis (CF) -  which causes problems with breathing and growth
  • Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID) -  which affects the body’s ability to fight infections
  • Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) - which causes muscle weakness and wasting
  • Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) - which affects the quantity of oxygen in the blood. 

Please visit our Disease Information page for more information about these diseases.

Related

What to Expect

Newborn screening is a test done for babies shortly after birth. Learn about the newborn screening process, step-by-step.

Screening FAQ

Answers to common questions about the newborn screening process.

Disease Information

Information about the different diseases tested by Newborn Screening Ontario.