Approximately 1-in-5,600 newborns suffer from a metabolic disorder -- a problem with their body's chemistry. Often, the problem is not diagnosed until a child is sick or dies.

That is what happened to Robert and Ollie Burke regarding their son, Bryce. When he was 19 months old, doctors diagnosed Bryce with the metabolic disease M-Cad, meaning that his body could not break down fatty acids into the sugar he needed.

"There are a lot of babies out there today where the parents are looking at them thinking 'I have a perfectly healthy son or perfectly healthy daughter,' and they really have a time bomb that could explode at any time," Robert Burke said.

All states already require a newborn to be tested for 3-to-8 metabolic disorders. The Institute of Metabolic Disease at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, offers a test for more than 30 other diseases, using a new technology called tandem Mass Spectrometry.

The state-required test is performed by pricking the baby's heel and taking a blood sample. At the same time, a small sample of blood also can be dried on a piece of absorbent paper, which can be sent to Baylor for supplemental testing. The results are passed on to the baby's doctor.

"It gives us a chance to be able to intervene early because we see them after the barn door is shut," Roe said.

Roe says that in many cases, metabolic disorders can be controlled through diet or simply vitamins.

Baylor Medical Center is the only facility that has the test kits. For more information, contact:
Institute of Metabolic Diseases
Baylor University Medical Center
3812 Elm Street
Dallas, TX 75226
(800) 422-9567
www.BaylorHealth.com/newbornscreening