Disorders Detectable by Newborn Screening

The California Newborn Screening (NBS) Program provides newborn screening to all California babies for all of the disorders listed on the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP). The RUSP is a list of disorders that are screened at birth and recommended by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for states to screen as part of their state universal newborn screening programs.

As of October 2020, the following RUSP disorders are screened for in California: 

• Primary List of Disorders Screened for in California 
  (RUSP Core Conditions)
  
• Additional Disorders Screened for in California 
  (RUSP Secondary Conditions)
  

• Additional Secondary Disorders Screened for in California (Additional RUSP Secondary Conditions​)

Please Note: Due to biological variability of newborns and differences in detection rates for the various disorders in the newborn period, the California Newborn Screening Program will not identify all newborns with these conditions. While a positive screening result identifies newborns at an increased risk to justify a diagnostic work-up, a negative screening result does not rule out the possibility of a disorder. Health care providers should remain watchful for any sign or symptoms of these disorders in their patients. A newborn screening result should not be considered diagnostic, and cannot replace the individualized evaluation and diagnosis of an infant by a well-trained, knowledgeable health care provider.

See below for a list of RUSP disorders, with their definitions and links to helpful resources where available.