Early Check Facts and Figures
Early Check began in 2018 by screening new babies for a small panel of rare genetic conditions. From October 2018 to July 2023, more than 27,000 babies were enrolled in Early Check. Of those babies, 49 were identified as at-risk for spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, fragile X syndrome, or fragile X premutation. In 2023, Early Check expanded to offer genomic newborn screening for over 200 conditions. Learn more about the conditions screened by Early Check here.
The goal of this page is to increase transparency and share information about Early Check genomic newborn screening, since its start in 2023.
Early Check Genomic Newborn Screening
September 2023–presentData as of:
Group combinations chosen by parents
Screening results
A screening test does not diagnose or treat any condition. If an Early Check participant receives a positive (not normal) result, confirmatory testing and follow-up are provided.
Treatable conditions and conditions with potential treatments
A screening test does not diagnose or treat any condition. If an Early Check participant receives a positive (not normal) result, confirmatory testing and follow-up are provided.
Early Check Demographics
Total participants:
Enrolled participants by race and ethnicity
Each baby is counted only once in the numbers below. Parents who selected more than one category for their baby are counted in the "more than one race and/or ethnicity” category.
Early Check aims to recruit racially and ethnically diverse participants with the goal of enrolling a sample representative of the North Carolina population. This graphic represents the parent-reported races and/or ethnicities of babies enrolled in Early Check. If parents did not report the race and/or ethnicity of their baby in the consent portal, the research team used the self-reported race and/or ethnicity of the parents to determine the baby’s race and/or ethnicity.
Early Check aims to recruit racially and ethnically diverse participants with the goal of enrolling a sample representative of the North Carolina population. This graphic represents the parent-reported races and/or ethnicities of babies enrolled in Early Check. If parents did not report the race and/or ethnicity of their baby in the consent portal, the research team used the self-reported race and/or ethnicity of the parents to determine the baby’s race and/or ethnicity.
Enrolled participants by county
This map presents enrollment counts, not rates. High counts per county are influenced by county population.
Note: This map presents enrollment counts, not rates. High counts per county are influenced by county population.