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.