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Published on: August 25, 2014
United Arab Emirates National Newborn Screening Programme: an evaluation 1998-2000
H al-Hosani1, M Salah, D Saade
1Central Department of Maternal and Child Health, Ministry of Health, Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Insights
The UAE National Newborn Screening Programme shows good coverage and timeliness, meeting international standards for detecting phenylketonuria (PKU) and congenital hypothyroidism (CH). This evaluation ensures effective early detection of these critical newborn conditions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Genetics
Background:
- Newborn screening is crucial for early detection of metabolic and endocrine disorders.
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Newborn Screening Programme aims to identify conditions like phenylketonuria (PKU) and congenital hypothyroidism (CH).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the UAE National Newborn Screening Programme's performance against international standards.
- Key indicators assessed include coverage, timeliness, and specimen quality.
- Specific disease detection rates for PKU and CH were calculated.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of programme indicators (age at sampling, recall, treatment initiation, specimen delivery, lab results) with international benchmarks.
- Calculation of recall rate, sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values for PKU and CH.
- Diagnostic investigations included thyroid function tests, PKU amino acid analysis, and biopterin defect testing.
Main Results:
- Over 138,000 neonates were screened in the 6 years prior to December 2000.
- Relative incidence rates were 1:1570 for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and 1:20,050 for classic phenylketonuria (PKU).
- Programme coverage, timeliness, and specimen quality were assessed against global standards.
Conclusions:
- The UAE National Newborn Screening Programme demonstrates effective performance in terms of coverage and timeliness.
- The programme successfully identifies critical conditions like CH and PKU, enabling timely intervention.
- Findings support the programme's alignment with international standards for newborn health surveillance.
Abstract:
To evaluate the United Arab Emirate National Newborn Screening Programme we compared coverage, timeliness of programme indicators (age at sampling, recall and treatment initiation, timing of specimen delivery and laboratory results) and specimen quality with international standards. Recall rate, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and relative incidence rates for phenylketonuria (PKU) and congenital hypothyroidism (CH) were calculated. Investigations for hypothyroidism included thyroid function studies (T3, T4, fT4 and TSH), technetium-99m thyroid scan when possible and thyroglobulin and thyroid antibodies when indicated. PKU investigations included plasma amino acids and measurement of biopterin defects. In the 6 years before December 2000, 138,718 neonates were screened. Relative incidences for CH and for classic PKU were 1:1570 and 1:20,050 respectively.
