Newborn screening for hemoglobinopathies in Colorado. The first 10 years
J. H. Githens, P. A. Lane, R. S. McCurdy, M. L. Houston, J. D. McKinna and D. M. Cole
Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver.
In Colorado, newborn screening for hemoglobinopathies by cellulose acetate
and citrate agar electrophoresis of dried capillary blood spots was
established in 1979. We reviewed the results of screening 528,711 infants
through 1988. Forty-seven infants with sickle cell diseases and 27 infants
with other hemoglobin diseases were identified. The initial screening
failed to detect sickle cell anemia in 4 infants, but the hemoglobinopathy
in 3 of these infants was diagnosed correctly by routine retesting of those
with suspected sickle cell trait. A total of 47 infants with sickle cell
diseases were followed through September 1989. There was no mortality among
these infants. The screening test identified 3779 infants (1:140 births)
with a suspected hemoglobin trait; confirmatory retesting was obtained in
53%. The results of our experience confirm the value of newborn screening
for hemoglobinopathies but suggest that a more sensitive test would improve
the program.
