The Guthrie test for newborn screening is typically performed when?

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Multiple Choice

The Guthrie test for newborn screening is typically performed when?

The timing of newborn screening is what's being tested here. The Guthrie test is used to detect conditions like phenylketonuria early so treatment can start before symptoms appear. Since many metabolic disorders aren’t evident at birth, the test is done soon after birth and before the baby goes home from the hospital, usually within the first week. It uses a dried blood sample obtained from a heel prick, not cord blood. It isn’t something done only if symptoms are present, and it’s not reserved for six weeks of age. So performing it before discharge, no later than seven days after birth, matches standard practice.

The timing of newborn screening is what's being tested here. The Guthrie test is used to detect conditions like phenylketonuria early so treatment can start before symptoms appear. Since many metabolic disorders aren’t evident at birth, the test is done soon after birth and before the baby goes home from the hospital, usually within the first week. It uses a dried blood sample obtained from a heel prick, not cord blood. It isn’t something done only if symptoms are present, and it’s not reserved for six weeks of age. So performing it before discharge, no later than seven days after birth, matches standard practice.

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