COLUMBUS — Ohio will become the first state to screen all newborn babies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a common hereditary neuromuscular disease in which a child’s muscles degenerate.
Lawmakers added the disease to Ohio’s Newborn Screening Program, which screens all newborn children for 40 rare medical conditions, according to a press release from Gov. Mike DeWine.
“Today, Ohio is the first state in the country to screen for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in newborns,” DeWine said in the release.
“Adding DMD to the list of screenings newborns receive ensures that parents will be able to start initiating care early for children who are diagnosed with this condition.”
New treatment through gene therapy may slow the progression of symptoms, which typically begin before a child’s fourth birthday.
The Ohio Department of Health estimates universal DMD screening will identify 35 babies with the muscular disorder each year. An estimated 20,000 cases of DMD are diagnosed each year worldwide.
