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Cystic fibrosis tests for new born babies
Nov 1 2006 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail
A NEW service to detect a killer disease in newborn babies was being launched in Birmingham today.
Blood-spot tests are set to be taken on newborns from across the West Midlands to reveal if they have cystic fibrosis - even before symptoms start to show.
Birmingham Children's Hospital lab workers will process all the samples and alert medics of any positive results.
Quicker detection is aimed at reducing devastating respiratory problems caused by the lung disease, said Wendy Nixon, a nurse specialist at the hospital.
"This will help children with cystic fibrosis remain healthy and will reduce anxiety for families.
"Current treatments for cystic fibrosis cannot reverse the lung damage, so the earlier treatment starts the better."
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