Newborn babies to be screened for metabolic disorder

Newborn babies will be routinely screened and treated for a rare, life-threatening metabolic disorder, which can result in the need for a liver transplant. Hereditary Tyrosinaemia Type 1 (HT1) is a genetically inherited disorder that affects around seven babies per year in the UK. Left untreated, it can lead to severe complications such as organ damage and liver failure. This condition will now be screened for, in the blood test that babies get on the fifth day after they are born, taken from the heel.