How to Read the Newborn Screening Report

Infant Demographics

The top section of the Ohio Newborn Screening report contains the baby’s demographic
information. It is important to review the information printed in this section for correctness. Errors
in demographic information can lead to incorrect interpretation of newborn screening results.
Corrections to demographic information should be submitted to the Ohio Newborn Screening
Program by completing a Letter of Correction form.

Screening Results

The Screening Results are printed below the demographics. The newborn screening laboratory
measures many different chemicals (called analytes) in the blood. These are listed in the column
with the heading “Test”. For ease of reporting, similar analytes are reported together as Profiles.
There are four different profile groups: Amino Acid, Fatty Acid, Organic Acid, and Lysosomal
Storage Disorder. Lists of the analytes included in each profile are listed at the end of this
document.

The “Value” column lists the results obtained from the infant’s blood submitted on the newborn
screening card. Newborn screening results are affected by many factors outside the control of the
laboratory. Results are for screening purposes only and should not be used in place of diagnostic
testing or in place of clinical judgment.

The “Reference Range” column lists the expected normal range of values for each test. The ranges
listed are for newborn screening specimens collected during the first week of life, and may not be
representative of blood specimen from older infants. A reference range of “Profile” indicates that
the results of all the analytes in that group are within the expected reference ranges. Analytes
included in each profile are listed below. A list of the reference ranges for all analytes included in
the Ohio Newborn Screening panel can be found in the Laboratory Reference Range table.

An example of a body of a report for a normal specimen is given below: 

An example of a report when one of the results is outside the reference range is given below:

The foot note describes the action to be taken for the abnormal result indicated above.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

1. Elevated Risk for Krabbe Disease. Seek immediate genetic consultation and diagnostic testing.