An article in the most recent Pediatric News reported an all too common problem. Unfortunately, this one had disastrous effects. At birth, states are required to do several lab tests for potential problems. One of these is a metabolic disorder for which the test is a PKU. The lab work was done, but apparently not checked by the baby's doctor before the baby was sent home. Gradually, the parents began to notice the child was not progressing developmentally as he should have. Not until the child was six years old, did a pediatric neurologist repeat the PKU and found it was abnormal. By that time the couple had another child who was also found to have an abnormal PKU. The article noted that 70% of diagnoses are based on lab results.
I was asked to see a child with muscle weakness several years ago and reviewed his voluminous chart from a recent stay at a University Hospital in another state.The chart was almost six inches in depth and took me a long time to go through it. When I got to about the middle I found the answer. The boy had a very elevated lab test indicating a treatable muscle disorder. I called the pediatrician who was head of the pediatric department and after he saw the abnormal test, he called back. The man was greatly embarrassed because the boy had a treatable disorder. Fortunately, the smart parents knew to get a second opinion which made the difference in the child's life.
I have always advised patients and parents to have a test repeated if it is abnormal. That way they can know if the lab has made a mistake or if it is truly abnormal. This advice has paid off many times. Also if lab work is done on a hospitalized child or teenage, parents need to be sure the results are reported to the child's doctor and reviewed.
This is very helpful, i hope many more parents can be aware of this.
Posted by: Kacy | 06/19/2017 at 02:07 AM