Newborns ‘should not be screened for Duchenne muscular dystrophy’

The UK National Screening Committee has opted against introducing routine screening of newborns for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

A new ruling from the independent expert screening committee has determined that current testing methods are not accurate enough to make a national screening programme for the inherited muscle wasting condition, despite the risks it poses.

Children affected by the disease see their muscles weaken over time, leading to increasing levels of disability. It is caused by faults in the genes responsible for muscle development affects between 100 and 200 boys in the UK each year.

Dr Anne Mackie, director of programmes for the UK National Screening Committee, said: "This is a very serious condition, but the current test is simply not reliable enough. Babies would be identified as having the condition when they don't, and the test also misses babies who go on to develop the disease."

The committee also recommended against screening for haemochromatosis – a condition where iron levels in the body slowly build up over many years – in adults. This is because the disease is caused by a genetic fault that does not always lead to problems developing, making it an unreliable target for screening.

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