Cross-sectional prospective feasibility study of newborn screening for sickle cell anaemia and congenital hypothyroidism in Guyana.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Newborn screening (NBS) is a test done shortly after birth to detect conditions that cause severe health problems if not treated early. An estimated 71% of babies worldwide are born in jurisdictions that do not have an established NBS programme. Guyana currently has no NBS programme and has established a partnership with Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO) to initiate screening.

Objectives

To assess the feasibility of implementing a NBS programme in Guyana for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and haemoglobinopathies (HBG) and to report on screen positive rates and prevalence (Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE)) for CH and HBG.

Methods

Term, healthy Guyanese infants were evaluated (with consent) using heel prick dried blood spots (DBS) shortly after birth (closer

SUBMITTER: Alladin BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8867252 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature