Tuesday, March 22, 2022: Neuberg Diagnostics, India’s fourth-largest diagnostics lab chain, conducted an awareness session for parents and caregivers of special needs children. The company brought together the national specialists and experts who shared insights on this genetic disorder that is probably the most common genetic cause of developmental delay and intellectual disability. One of the parents shared the journey that she and her family had with their special child and encouraged other parents to join communities and support each other.

Primary care physicians discussed about this genetic disorder, its complications, the need of regular systematic checkups, early medical intervention, and the role of healthcare providers. They highlighted the challenges related to the inclusiveness of these special children and shared how awareness and collective efforts can empower these children to join the mainstream workforce.

Dr. Shubha Phadke, MD (Pediatrics) & Professor and head of the department Medical Genetics, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, informed that approximately 21400 children with Down Syndrome; 9000 with beta-thalassemia, and 5200 with sickle cell disease are born every year in India. She said, “If the disability is diagnosed at birth, then medical experts often look for medical complications like intellectual disability, heart malformations, trachea-oesophageal fistula, hyperthyroidism, cataracts, atlantoaxial dislocation, and risk of leukemia. And accordingly, counsel parents on therapies and treatments. These newborns need to undergo the regular physical examinations, eye examinations, hearing evaluations, and dental examinations.” Dr. Phadke added that unproven therapies which are rampantly being provided to these children and should not be promoted.

Dr. Jayashree Gopal, Director, DiabEndoIndia, Chennai, said, “We see that 3 in 4 Down Syndrome individuals report thyroid-related issues at adulthood. The most common type of thyroid they report is hyperthyroidism. Therefore, when these children reach the age of 20-21, they should be regularly screened for thyroids, sugar, blood pressure, and metabolic diseases.”

She added, “We have noted the prevalence of obesity and diabetes in later years of Down Syndrome children. Also, they are more prone to early menopause.” 

Dr. Sheetal Sharda, Director, Neuberg Centre for Genomic Medicine, during the discussion with experts and delegates concluded that there have been lots of progress in early diagnosis of many genetic disorders and prenatal diagnosis. She said, “We should have a balanced approach and always consider the parents’ decision as regards to their reproductive options. Screening tests like biochemical screening and testing of free fetal DNA in mother’s blood (NIPT) followed by invasive tests can help in the prenatal detection for genetic disorders. But it is totally a personal decision of the parents to take further informed decisions.”

The experts reiterated that as a society, we must embrace these children as an essential part of the society, help create suitable jobs and enable them to lead a dignified life. We should move positively towards a better inclusive society

About Neuberg Diagnostics: 

Best-in-class laboratories across India, USA, UAE & South Africa have united under the banner of Neuberg Diagnostics, to bring the latest technology and techniques within the reach of developing countries. Utilizing their combined strengths, the Neuberg brings capabilities to perform over 6000 varieties of Pathological investigations and promotes Prevention & Early Diagnosis, Focused Wellness Programs and Structured Disease Management programs for rare diseases using the most advanced technologies assisted by Data science and AI tools.

Today, Neuberg Diagnostics is among the top diagnostics companies of Indian origin and the fastest growing healthcare start-up in India. The founding members of the Neuberg Diagnostics – Anand Diagnostic Laboratory (Bangalore), Supratech Micropath (Ahmedabad), Ehrlich Laboratory (Chennai), Global Labs (South Africa), and Minerva Diagnostics (Dubai) bring their combined heritage of over 200 years, and process over 30 million tests annually. Some of the best Pathologists, Biochemists, Geneticists, Microbiologists, and several other Clinical Lab Professionals from around the world are working closely, sharing knowledge and using the latest generation of diagnostics techniques to take accurate and timely diagnosis to the next level.

Apart from the coming together of leading players, green field laboratories have been established in Delhi NCR, West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. Currently the group has 130+ labs and over 1000 touch points across 4 countries. Our Indian Expansion plans include setting up a network of 500 collection centers across the country within the next 12 months. Our Overseas expansion plans include establishing a presence in East Africa, West Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, USA, and Germany.

Neuberg also provides Hospital Laboratory Management Services, Preventive Health Checks, Corporate Wellness, Home Health Services and Drive through Phlebotomy Services.

For further details, please contact: 

Also read https://news.easyshiksha.com/film-actress-bhagyashree-felicitated-leaders-of-rajasthan/

For online certified courses and internships, visit https://easyshiksha.com/online_courses/internship