Cutting Edge DNA Technology Could Boost Cystic Fibrosis Screening For Newborns

(By – Barbara Feder Ostrov, Kaiser Health News)

Stanford University scientists say they’ve devised a more accurate and comprehensive DNA test to screen newborns for cystic fibrosis, the most common fatal genetic disease in the United States.

Affecting about one in 3,900 babies born in the U.S., cystic fibrosis causes mucus to build up in the lungs, pancreas and other organs, leading to frequent lung infections and often requiring lifetime treatment for patients, whose median lifespan is 37 years.

Every state screens newborns for cystic fibrosis, but the current sequence of tests can miss cases, threatening babies’ lives. Read more…

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit national health policy news service that is part of the nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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