Newborn Screening in Slovenia

Zdr Varst. 2015 Mar 13;54(2):86-90. doi: 10.1515/sjph-2015-0013. eCollection 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: Newborn screening in whole Slovenia started in 1979 with screening for phenylketonuria (PKU). Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) was added into the programme in 1981. The aim of this study was to analyse the data of neonatal screening in Slovenia from 1993 to 2012 for PKU, and from 1991 to 2012 for CH.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from the heels of newborns between the third and the fifth day after birth. Fluorometric method was used for screening for PKU, CH screening was done by dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluorescent immunoassay (DELFIA).

Results: From 1993 to 2012, from 385,831 newborns 57 were identified with PKU. 184 newborns out of 427,396 screened from 1991 to 2012, were confirmed for CH. Incidences of PKU and CH in the periods stated are 1:6769 and 1:2323, respectively.

Conclusions: Successful implementation of newborn screening for PKU and CH has helped in preventing serious disabilities of the affected children. Adding screening for new metabolic diseases in the future would be beneficial.

Uvod: Presejanje novorojencev v Sloveniji se je začelo leta 1979 s presejanjem za fenilketonurijo (PKU). Leta 1981 je bil v program presejanja dodan še kongenitalni hipotireoidizem (CH). Cilj te raziskave je analiza podatkov presejanja novorojencev v Sloveniji v obdobju med letoma 1993 in 2012 za PKU ter med letoma 1991 in 2012 za CH.

Metode: Vzorci krvi so bili odvzeti petim novorojencem med tretjim in petim dnem življenja. Pri presejanju za PKU se uporablja fluorometrična metoda, presejanje za CH pa poteka z metodo DELFIA.

Rezultati: Od leta 1993 do leta 2012 je bil presejalni test za PKU izveden pri 358.831 novorojencih. Pri 57 otrocih je bil PKU potrjen. Pri 427.396 novorojencih med letoma 1991 in 2012 je bil izveden presejalni test za CH. Pri 184 otrocih je bil CH potrjen. V navedenih obdobjih je bila incidenca PKU 1:6769 in incidenca CH 1:2323.

Zaključki: Uspešna implementacija presejanja novorojencev za PKU in CH je imela pomembno vlogo pri preprečevanju resnih zapletov pri obolelih otrocih. Smiselno bi bilo v program presejanja vključiti nove metabolne bolezni.

Keywords: Slovenia; congenital hypothyroidism; incidence; mass screening; phenylketonuria.