Make Krabbe Disease Testing a Requirement Among Current Mandatory Newborn Testing.

Among the mandatory testing for newborns should be the Krabbe disease, also known as globoid cell leukodystrophy. The disease is inherited and attacks the protective coating of the nerve cells in the brain and throughout the nervous system. This disease is most common in young children around 6 months old, and most will die at or before age 2. Krabbe disease can develop in older children, as well as adults. Approximately 1 in 100,000 people in the U.S. suffer from this disease. Testing costs approximately 6-7 dollars per test, which is minimal considering medical care for someone with Krabbe disease can escalate into the millions of dollars. While there is no cure, stem cell transplants have a 90% rate of treatment success in infants if it is performed before the onset of symptoms.