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British Columbia Announces Plans to Expand Newborn Screening

(UNION, NJ, July 3, 2008) -- British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell announced this morning plans for the expansion of newborn screening in his province including testing for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH).  Every week the life of a British Columbian baby will be saved by this expansion.

"This is a great victory for British Columbia and its children," said Kelly Leight, executive director of CARES Foundation, a non-profit, international organization dedicated to improving the lives of families and patients affected by CAH.

An inherited disorder affecting the adrenal gland, undetected CAH results in life-threatening imbalances in salt and hormone levels.  An autosomal recessive disease, both parents are carriers but there is rarely any family history to indicate potential for inheritance.  A silent killer, CAH-affected newborns frequently show no outward signs of the disorder and are sent home only to present a few weeks later for urgent medical attention at a time when they are beyond resuscitation.

“On the other hand, if CAH-affected children are detected before adrenal crisis, they simply are placed on proper medications and can expect to live normal, full lives,” explains Leight.

The expansion of newborn screening in British Columbia will save these babies from dying unnecessarily or suffering mental retardation and severe disability from a disease that can be screened for a birth as part of a comprehensive screening panel allowing life-saving early intervention.

For more information on CARES and CAH, please visit our website at http://www.caresfoundation.org or call 866-277-3737. 

CARES Foundation Contact:
Kelly Leight
Kelly@caresfoundation.org
2414 Morris Ave., Suite 110
Union, NJ 07083
Phone: (908) 364-0272
Toll-free: (866) 227-3737
Fax: (908) 686-2019
URL: www.caresfoundation.org

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