The 12 Diseases Diagnosed in the Foot Test
Nowadays, the Basic Foot Test is mandatory by law throughout the national territory. Some municipalities even do not allow the child to be registered at a notary’s office if he has not previously taken the exam. Several maternity hospitals already perform the test routinely, before hospital discharge, after the baby is 48 hours old . Find out if this is done at the maternity unit where the baby was born . If the test has not yet been done, you can look for the health post in your municipality. Check out The 12 Diseases Diagnosed in the Foot Test:Sickle Cell Anemia: Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder that consists of changing the normal shape of red blood cells, impairing adequate oxygenation of cells and organs . It can be diagnosed in the foot test. Result? Poor development of one or another organ, in addition to pain crises and a predisposition to have more infections. Treatment consists of adjustments in routine and habits, medications and, in some cases, blood transfusions.
Biotinidase Deficiency: Biotinidase deficiency (DBT) is an inherited metabolic disorder in which there is a defect in the metabolism of biotin. Clinically, it manifests from the seventh week of life with neurological and skin disorders such as epileptic seizures, hypotonia, microcephaly, delayed neuropsychomotor development, alopecia and eczematoid dermatitis. In patients with late diagnosis, visual and auditory disturbances as well as motor and language delay are observed.
Taking the Foot Test is of paramount importance to diagnose these and other diseases to better treat them. Drug treatment is very simple, low cost and consists of the use of biotin (vitamin) in daily doses.
Congenital Rubella: Rubella is caused by a virus and can be transmitted to the baby if the mother is infected. It can lead to brain changes, cataracts, heart malformations and, above all, deafness. The Foot Test can detect Congenital Rubella facilitating its treatment.
Congenital Hypothyroidism: Congenital hypothyroidism is a disease that can also be diagnosed in the heel prick test, in which the baby ‘s thyroidcannot produce normal amounts of hormones, which can harm the baby ‘s growth , as well as cause mental retardation, for example. Learn more about this problem at: Congenital Hypothyroidism.
Congenital Toxoplasmosis: Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a protozoan and can pass from mother to baby if infected with toxoplasma. Like syphilis, toxoplasmosis should also be screened for prenatal care, however, with the foot test , it is also possible to confirm whether the baby has the disease , applying the correct treatment.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: It is a genetic disease, in which the two adrenal glands – located on top of the kidneys, do not work properly, impairing the production of essential hormones for the body, such as cortisol and aldosterone.
Cystic Fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis is a rare, genetic disease that leads to respiratory changes in the baby . It can be screened by the eastern T of the foot and confirmed by the sweat test. Treatment is with medication, oxygen and respiratory physiotherapy.
Galactosemia: Galactosemia is a disease caused by the baby ‘s failure to digest the sugar present in milk, which can lead to changes in the central nervous system and eyes. The foot test will serve to alert parents to start making restrictions on the baby ‘s diet from an early age.
Phenylketonuria: It is one of the inborn errors of genetically inherited metabolism. The metabolic defect generated leads to the accumulation of the amino acid Phenylalanine (PAL) in the blood . Without early diagnosis and treatment before 3 months of age, the child with Phenylketonuria presents a classic clinical picture, characterized by global delay in neuropsychomotor development (NPMD), mental deficiency, agitated behavior or autistic pattern, seizures, electroencephalographic changes and odor. characteristic in urine.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is a disease that causes the child to have a hormonal deficiency of some hormones and an exaggeration in the production of others, which can cause excessive growth, premature puberty or other physical problems. How the treatment is done: the baby must undergo hormone replacement throughout life to compensate for the lack of hormones and stabilize the amount of excess hormones.
Congenital Syphilis: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacterium. It can be transmitted to the baby if the mother is infected, and causes neurological changes, in addition to malformations in the bones and eyes. The test for syphilis must be carried out during prenatal care, because, if the mother is infected, it is possible to start treatment and prevent the disease from passing on to the child. However, even if the mother has not taken the correct medication, the foot test can confirm whether the child has the disease and apply the appropriate treatment.
Congenital Cytomegalovirus: If the baby is infected by the cytomegalovirus during pregnancy, he may be born with symptoms such as deafness or mental retardation. In this case, treatment for cytomegalovirus in the baby can be done with antiviral drugs and the main objective is to prevent deafness. Cytomegalovirus infection is more common during pregnancy but can also happen during childbirth or after birth if close people are infected. The foot test can also diagnose this disease effectively, facilitating its treatment.