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New parents want to know early on if their baby has a serious health problem.

And , the list of rare health conditions that newborns are screened for just got longer.

The state’s newborn screening program has been expanded to include four additional health conditions:

• Fabry disease
• Mucopolysaccharidosis type 1 (MPS 1)
• Pompe disease
• Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)

These conditions were added because treatments are available for each that can either prevent or reduce symptoms.

The screening actually involves two tests. When a baby is born in a Maryland hospital, blood is taken from the child’s heel about 24 hours after birth. Then, when the baby is about two weeks old, more blood is collected in a doctor’s office. Each time, the blood is sent to a state lab.

According to Maryland’s Department of Health, the total number of is now up to 61, one of the five largest state totals in the nation.