Scotland must wait two years for newborn blood test

Published on Thursday 19 March 2009 22:29

A POTENTIALLY life-saving blood test for a rare metabolic condition is now being offered to newborns across England – but babies in Scotland will have to wait another two years.

Medium Chain Acyl CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency can usually be easily treated when diagnosed, but often the first sign is when the sufferer is taken seriously ill.

The UK government announced in February 2007 that blood-spot screening for MCADD would be rolled out across England and this has now been completed.

In Scotland, however, ministers did not announce the introduction of the test until last July, with full roll-out expected by April 2011.

The Scottish Government said that the delay was due to funding for training and planning not being available in the spending review until 2008-9.

A spokeswoman said: "Last July, the Scottish Government announced that the screening for MCADD would be one of the changes made to the pregnancy and newborn screening programme.

"Plans are under way for NHS boards to provide this as part of the newborn blood-spot test. This will be in place across Scotland by April 2011."

MCADD affects the body's ability to break down fat for energy, especially when someone is ill or has not eaten for several hours.

Those with the condition can become seriously ill and can even die unless they are given glucose.

MCADD affects one child in every 10,000. One in every 20 of those affected dies as a result of a MCADD crisis and others may be left with brain damage.

The screening programme in England aims to prevent a crisis happening by diagnosing the condition through routine testing when a baby is around five days old.

The test for MCADD has simply been added to those for cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, the genetic disorder phenylketonuria and congenital hypothyroidism.