This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Heel prick screening for cystic fibrosis (CF)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Infants with cystic fibrosis 1 to 2 weeks of age show increased levels of immunoreactive trypsin in the plasma in the neonatal heel-prick test.

The test is positive if immunoreactive trypsin is greater than 80 mcg/litre. It is currently the best screening test for cystic fibrosis but cannot be done after the 8 weeks of life since the immunoreactive trypsin falls as pancreatic insufficiency develops.

Immunoreactive trypsin is also raised in haemorrhagic shock and encephalopathy.

Notes:

  • The National Screening Committee recommends that newborn blood spot screening include: Phenylketonuria (PKU), Congenital Hypothyroidism (CHT), Sickle Cell disorders, Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and Medium Chain Acyl Co-A Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MCADD)
  • Blood spot screening is offered to all babies up to one year of age, with the exception of CF where the test is valid up to 8 weeks of age only CF screening may detect some but not all carriers, SCD screening also detects carriers.

http://newbornbloodspot.screening.nhs.uk/


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.