The heel prick test is offered when babies are five days old and involves taking a few drops of blood from the baby's heel. The blood sample is then tested for several serious but rare conditions including cystic fibrosis. To have cystic fibrosis, an individual must carry two copies of the faulty gene (one copy inherited from their mother, and one from their father). There are lots of different types of faults (mutations) that can affect the gene causing cystic fibrosis. The heel prick test screens for the most common mutations, but not all of them, so it's possible for someone with a rare genetic mutation not to be picked up by the test and CF may not be diagnosed until later in life. A positive result from the heel prick test suggests that a baby may have cystic fibrosis, however further tests will be needed to confirm a diagnosis (see next section on the sweat test). This leaflet from Public Health England gives some further detail about receiving a positive heel prick test. The heel prick test can also identify some babies who have one faulty gene, meaning that they are carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene but are not thought to have the condition.
Home About Us Dr. Steven J. Levitt Meet Dr. Levitt Dr. Levitt is a Newton, MA dentist who specializes in general dentistry. He is highly committed to clinical excellence and consistently attends continuous education courses to remain up-to-date on new advancements and state-of-the-art dentistry. Dr. Levitt is proud of his ability to help improve each patient's self- esteem and quality of life through the appearance of their smile, which puts him among the leading dentists in Newton, MA. Levitt attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and received his D. M. D. from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. After school, he completed two additional years of residency training at Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, NY, specializing in temporomandibular joint disorder and cosmetic dentistry. Reviews "What an amazing experience! " Office Visit "I have been a patient of Dr. Levitt for over 20 glorious years!! He has the most amazing staff from Elizabeth and Joy who take care of our teeth and keep the cavities at bay to Kara and Diana and Karen who work to keep the office in order daily... Everyone on the staff is excellent and it is always a pleasure to go to the office and have my teeth cleaned.