Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screen

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a disease which affects certain glands (known as exocrine glands) in the body such as mucus and sweat glands. CF is one of the most common hereditary diseases in the United States occurring in approximately 1 of every 2,500-4000 Caucasian births, 1 in 9,600 Hispanic births, 1 in 17,000-19,000 African American births and 1 in 90,000 Asian births.

The Newborn Screening Program is a collaborative effort between the John Dempsey Hospital Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, the Department of Genetics and the Cystic Fibrosis Center located at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Each year approximately 23,000 of the 44,000 births from 22 participating hospitals in Connecticut are screened by this program.

The CF Newborn Screening Program provides a mechanism for identification of infants with CF (including confirmatory tests) within 2 weeks following birth. Early intervention has been shown to improve the length and quality of life in individuals with CF.