Diagnosis of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease
Early diagnosis is one of the key factors for the child to live a happier life. Newborn testing is the most common way that babies are diagnosed. As of May 21, 2010, Montana, Wisconsin, New York, California, Conneticut, Michigan, Colorado, Mississippi, Delaware, Florida, Texas, Minnesota, Indiana, Pennyslvania, Utah, Ohio, and Wyomn have ordered that babies have prenatal testing for the disease. Now, because of the terrible side effects, all states require that newborn screening is done for the child. This is very crucial if the disease runs in your family, but there are many cases where the disease may not run in the family, but the child still receives the disorder. This testing shows the doctor whether your child has a T-cell defect. Normal fetuses have 2,500/mm3 of T- cells while affected fetuses usually have around 100/mm3 T-cells. This method is very beneficial because it allows the child to have treatment done before it is too late.
For diagnosis after the baby is born, doctors usually diagnose the baby through family and medical history, blood tests, and physical examination.
During the first six months of the baby's life, the symptoms may not show, but after that, there are clear signs that the baby may be diagnosed. For example, a common cold can turn into pneumonia for the child. If this occurs, do not take sicknesses lightly. Take the child to the doctor right away whenever the child is sick to see if he or she has SCID. The doctor will do blood tests to see whether the child is affected. Early diagnosis is crucial for the child to have a higher survival chance.
Facts to Know:
When the baby is first born, their mother supplies them with enough antibodies to fight off diseases. However, as the baby develops within the first week, its immune system takes the responsibility of fighting off infections on their own. Babies with SCID, do not have the capacity to fight of the infections with their genetic condition. This causes them to receive many infections that may or may not be life-threatening.
Although there are many types of SCID, all of them are present at birth along with missing T-cells even though the symptoms may not show at first. T cells are white blood cells that attack foreign objects in the body. That is basically the main purpose of the immune system, to fight off foreign objects like viruses and bacterias. Along with that, the function of B cells reduce. B cells are white blood cells that produce antibodies that fight against infections.
For diagnosis after the baby is born, doctors usually diagnose the baby through family and medical history, blood tests, and physical examination.
During the first six months of the baby's life, the symptoms may not show, but after that, there are clear signs that the baby may be diagnosed. For example, a common cold can turn into pneumonia for the child. If this occurs, do not take sicknesses lightly. Take the child to the doctor right away whenever the child is sick to see if he or she has SCID. The doctor will do blood tests to see whether the child is affected. Early diagnosis is crucial for the child to have a higher survival chance.
Facts to Know:
When the baby is first born, their mother supplies them with enough antibodies to fight off diseases. However, as the baby develops within the first week, its immune system takes the responsibility of fighting off infections on their own. Babies with SCID, do not have the capacity to fight of the infections with their genetic condition. This causes them to receive many infections that may or may not be life-threatening.
Although there are many types of SCID, all of them are present at birth along with missing T-cells even though the symptoms may not show at first. T cells are white blood cells that attack foreign objects in the body. That is basically the main purpose of the immune system, to fight off foreign objects like viruses and bacterias. Along with that, the function of B cells reduce. B cells are white blood cells that produce antibodies that fight against infections.