Texas Children's Hospital announces newborn screening clinic

The Texas Children's Hospital announced a new newborn primary immunodeficiency disorder screening clinic, which will immediately see referred newborns who have tested positive for immune disorders.

According to a hospital press release, beginning immediately, the state of Texas will screen all newborns for severe combined immunodeficiency disorder as part of the standard newborn screening panel. The panel already screens for 28 disorders.

SCID is a genetic disorder that affects about one in 60,000 newborns. Commonly known as the Bubble Boy disease, the disorder refers to Texas Children's Hospital patient David Vetter, who suffered from X-linked SCID and lived in a sterile chamber for 12 years.

"This new screening will allow us to detect SCID early enough to diminish organ damage by minimizing patient illness, while also allowing us to have an optimal amount of time to offer hematopoietic stem cell transplantation," said Dr. Celine Hanson, immunologist at Texas Children's Hospital, in the press release. "This early detection allows our team time to offer planning and genetic counseling for future pregnancies in affected families as well."

Left undetected, children with SCID are at risk for developing life-threatening, recurrent infections including pneumonia, meningitis and bloodstream infections by the time they reach six months old. Early detection can save lives and save families millions of dollars in hospital costs.

The new screening is approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It will also aid pediatricians in knowing their patients have been screened before administering vaccines. The program is supported by the national March of Dimes program.

Texas Children's Hospital is at 6621 Fannin St., Houston.

For more information, call 832-824-1000, email info@texaschildrens.org or visit www.texaschildrens.org.