Initial blood work

So how much should you get done and when is always a concern for parents. Here is the list I did for my child and why:

Lead –-if they aren’t sending it here it must be going somewhere and high lead levels are directly correlated with decreased IQ plus it is even treatable

Hepatitis B surface antigen- with rare exception tells you whether the baby is infected or is a carrier (even if they were immunized) and some treatment is available although not terribly effective

Hemoglobin- anemia is very common particularly if the diet was poor plus anemia also affects intelligence and is treatable

HIV- it is on the rise in China and if she is infected I would want to know since even if not curable it is able to be at least controlled

MMR IgG antibody- actually antibody for any of the immunizations would be fine. If these three are present it will prove she was immunized and I will assume she got all the other shots.

RPR for syphilis- can be transmitted in Moms and is on the rise China. Can be very asymptomatic for years.

Stool culture for parasites- the child can have minimal symptoms for years and the little buggers can be stealing valuable nutrition which is why she might be eating like a T-Rex (one of our nicknames for China 2)

There you have it. Your doctor may add others.