Analysis of personalized precision diagnosis of 156 children with suspected rare inherited metabolic diseases / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To explore the accurate diagnosis of children with suspected rare inherited metabolic diseases, and to compare the application value of mass spectrometry and genetic testing in the diagnosis of rare inherited metabolic diseases (IMD). Methods　The clinical information, mass spectrometry, and genetic results of children with suspected rare inherited metabolic diseases admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, the Affiliated Haikou Hospital of Xiangya Medical College, Central South University from March 2017 to December 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Results　156 children with suspected rare inherited metabolic diseases were detected by mass spectrometry, 67 cases were positive and 89 cases were negative. Children with positive initial examination were retested, and 19 cases were positive. Among the retest positive cases, 13 cases were given genetic testing, and 9 cases were positive and 4 cases were negative. Among the initial negative cases, 54 children with poor therapeutic effect and high clinical suspicion of inherited metabolic diseases completed genetic testing, 15 cases were positive and 39 cases were negative. The results of the two detection methods were compared, the positive rate of mass spectrometry was 19.4%(13/67), and the positive rate of genetic testing was 35.8%(24/67). The continuity correction of Pearson's chi-square test of continuity correction suggested that the results of genetic testing and mass spectrometry were different, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Taking genetic testing as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of mass spectrometry detection were 37.5% (95%CI:19.6%-59.2%) and 90.7% (95%CI:76.9%-97.0%), respectively. Among the 24 confirmed cases, 5 cases were diagnosed by gene panel and 19 cases were diagnosed by whole exome sequencing (WES). One case diagnosed by WES had no pathogenic mutation detected by gene panel before diagnosis. The detection of DNM1L gene c.1040C>G and AMN gene c.651+1G>C are novel pathogenic gene variants, which have clinical significance. Conclusions　The ability of mass spectrometry in the diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases is limited. Genetic testing, especially whole exome sequencing, can be the first choice for individualized diagnosis of suspected rare inherited metabolic diseases. In addition, the new mutation sites found by WES in this study enriched the pathogenic gene mutation spectrum and provided direction for further functional biological experiments.

17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 10 deficiency: a case report and literature review / 中国新生儿科杂志

Objective:To study the clinical and genetic characteristics of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 10 (HSD17B10) deficiency.Methods:The clinical data of a male patient with HSD17B10 deficiency diagnosed and treated in the neonatal department of our hospital were analyzed. Literatures were searched in the CNKI, VIP Database, WanFang Database PubMed and Embase using "17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase", "17β-HSD", "17β-hydroxyl Steroid dehydrogenase 10", "HSD17B10", "2-methyl 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase", "2-methyl 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency", "MHBD", "MHBDD" as keywords. The reported data of patients with HSD17B10 deficiency were reviewed and the clinical and genetic characteristics analyzed.Results:The male newborn admitted to our hospital had poor response as the presenting symptom, accompanied with severe metabolic acidosis, myocardial injury and hyperammonemia. He was dead after giving up treatment. Genetic tests indicated mutations occur in HSD17B10 gene exon6. c.740A>G (P.N247S). A total of 41 cases (our case included) with 16 different types of gene mutations from 38 papers were analyzed. Most of the patients ( n=38, 92.7%) were male and the disease was more severe in male patients. Most patients had neurological abnormalities ( n=37, 90.2%) with comorbidities including metabolic acidosis ( n=13, 31.7%), hypoglycemia ( n=8, 19.5%), retinopathy ( n=7, 17.1%), cardiomyopathy ( n=6, 14.6%) and nystagmus ( n=4, 9.8%). Severe metabolic acidosis was the main presentation of the neonatal-onset of the disease. The younger the age of onset, the higher the mortality and the worse the prognosis. HSD17B10 gene mutation analysis could confirm the diagnosis. Conclusions:HSD17B10 deficiency gene mutations have multiple types. Male patients tend to have severe clinical courses and poor prognosis. No effective treatments exist to date. Family history of the disease strongly suggests early prenatal consultation and prenatal diagnosis.

Paying attention to screening,diagnosis and treatment of fatty acid oxidation disorders / 中国实用儿科杂志

Fatty acid oxidation disorders(FAOD)include more than 10 kinds of diseases,they all belong to autosomal recessive diseases and are common inherited metabolic diseases. Onset age of the patients with FAOD are from newborn to adult. The clinical manifestations were nonspecific,mainly manifested as liver disease,cardiomyopathy and muscle diseases. Detection of free carnitine and acylcarnitines in blood by tandem mass spectrometry and detection of gene mutations are important methods for diagnosis of such diseases. Tandem mass screening for neonatal screening is helpful for early diagnosis and early treatment of FAOD. Primary carnitine deficiency and multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency can be treated by specific therapeutic drugs with good effect. There are no specific drugs for other diseases,which need symptomatic treatment.

Two cases of hereditary hypomagnesaemia with secondary hypocalcaemia and 4 novel mutations on TRPM6 gene / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical,biochemical and genetic features of hereditary hypomagnesaemia with secondary hypocalcaemia.Methods Two boys came from different Chinese families.They were hospitalized at the Peking University First Hospital between 2014 and 2016 at the age of 9 years and 1 year and 2 months because of epilepsy and psychomotor retardation.Clinical investigation,laboratory examination,and medical imaging were performed for the etiological study.Whole-genome sequencing was used for the genetic analysis of the patients.Mutations of TRPM6 gene were confirmed by means of Sanger sequencing.Results Patient 1 presented with recurrent seizures and psychomotor retardation from the age of 3 months.Vision loss and psychomotor regression were noticed from the age of 9 years,accompanied with hypertension.Serum magnesium and total calcium were significandy decreased to 0.13-0.15 mmol/L and 1.43-2.00 mmol/L,respectively in patient 1.Serum potassium was reduced to 1.85-3.25 mmol/L.Blood parathyroid hormone was also decreased.On the TRPM6 gene of patient 1,2 novel non-sense mutations,c.2771G ＞ A (p.Trp924Ter) and c.115C ＞ T (p.Gln39Ter) were identified.Patient 2 presented with seizures and psychomotor retardation at the age of 2 weeks.Both of his serum magnesium (0.17-0.35 mmol/L) and serum total calcium (1.32-1.34 mmol/L) were significantly decreased.Blood parathyroid hormone was decreased.Two novel mutations (c.1239G ＞ A,p.W413X and c.146G ＞ A,p.C49Y) were found in the TRPM6 gene of patient 2.Severe hypomagnesaemia,hypocalcaemia and TRPM6 gene mutations confirmed the diagnosis of hereditary hypomagnesaemia with secondary hypocalcaemia in the 2 patients.After the large-dose supplement of magnesium sulfate,progressive clinical improvements were observed in the 2 patients.However,because of the severe brain damage,patient 1 still had psychomotor retardation.Patient 2 completely recovered.Conclusions Hereditary hypomagnesaemia with secondary hypocalcaemia is a severe inherited metabolic disease.Early diagnosis and large-dose magnesium supplement are the key to the good prognosis of the patients.In this study,2 Chinese children with the clinical onset of epilepsy and psychomotor retardation are reported.The diagnosis is made by way of blood biochemical assay and gene analysis.Four novel mutations on their TRPM6 gene are identified.

Clinical profiles and outcomes of the most common inherited metabolic diseases in the Philippines: A review of the National Institutes of Health - Institute of Human Genetics Metabolic Registry

@#<p><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> This study reviewed the profiles and outcomes of patients diagnosed to have the five most common inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs) in the Metabolic Registry of the National Institutes of Health - Institute of Human Genetics (NIH-IHG) from 1999 to 2016.</p><p><br /><strong>METHODS: </strong>The medical records of the patients diagnosed with the following inherited metabolic diseases were reviewed: maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), galactosemia, hyperphenylalaninemias (including classical phenylketonuria, mild hyperphenylalaninemia, and pterin defects), mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), and adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD).</p><p><br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> There was a total of 567 patients with IMDs, giving a minimum estimated burden of 1.9 per 100,000 livebirths (1:51,760). Clinical presentations were similar to those reported in literature. Majority of the cases of galactosemia and hyperphenylalaninemias presented with a positive newborn screening result. The local prevalence of MSUD and MPS II were higher compared to international data, which may be explained by reported founder mutations among Filipinos. Majority of the patients with IMDs were diagnosed late leading to preventable developmental delay or intellectual disability and death. Majority of patients with MSUD (80.6%) and MPS (94.7%) had intellectual disability or developmental delay. Mortality was 50.5% among patients with MSUD and 100% among patients with adrenoleukodystrophy.</p><p><br /><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>There is a diversity of IMDs present in the country. A long-term strategic plan, such as the full implementation of the National Rare Disease Act, is foreseen to improve access to comprehensive healthcare and quality of life of patients with IMDs in the country.</p>

Congenital disorder of glycosylation type Ⅰg: a case report and literature review / 中国新生儿科杂志

Objective To study the clinical features,diagnosis,genetic characteristics and treatment of congenital disorder of glycosylation type Ⅰg (CDG-Ⅰg) and to raise the awareness of CDG-Ⅰg among the clinicians.Method The data of one child with CDG-Ⅰg admitted to Shanghai Children's Medical Center affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine was studied retrospectively.Literatures were retrieved with key words including "congenital glycosylation disorder Ⅰg","ALG12","congenital glycosylation defect Ⅰg","CDG-Ⅰg" and "congenital disorder" in the Chinese knowledge network,VP database,Wanfang database,Biomedicine,PubMed and the Web of Science database from data established until January 2018.We summarized the clinical and genetic characteristics of CDG-Ⅰg.Result An one-day-old male infant admitted to the Hospital due to "poor response with hypoglycemia" manifested with facial deformity,hypotonia,inverted nipples,micropenis and undescended testes.He had intermittent hypoglycemia and recurrent infection,treated with antimicrobials,glucose rehydration and hormone therapy.Serum insulin,growth hormone level,blood and urine metabolic screening were normal.The patient was compound heterozygous for ALG12 mutations,c.432C ＞ A,p.Cys144 * and c.904T ＞ C,p.Tyr302His,each of his parents carried a pathogenic mutation.The patient died in follow-up for unknown reasons.No reported cases of CDG-Ⅰg from China have so far been reported yet.We reviewed the other 8 cases CDG-Ⅰg (4 males and 4 females) born in foreign countries,5 of them with neonatal onset.Common clinical manifestaions include facial deformity,hypotonia,hypogenitalism,coagulopathy,hypoimmunity,recurrent infection,electroyte imbalance etc.The ALG12 gene has 11 mutation sites.Conclusion CDG-Ⅰg is a rare autosomal recessive disorder.Most reported patients had onset in neonatal period.It seems that the association of facial deformity,psychomotor retardation,hypotonia,coagulopathy,male hypogenitalism and hypoglycemia might be a clue to the diagnosis of CDG-Ⅰg.Gene detection of ALG12 can confirm the diagnosis.This disorder has no specific treatment yet.

Advances on the research of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria is a rare organic aciduria inherited by autosomal recessive trait.It is caused by the mutations in 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase gene.The clinical onset usually occurs in the neonatal and infant period.In recent years,with the development of technology for screening inherited metabolic diseases,the number of children with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria are increasing.The incidence of this disease is about 1 ∶ 100 000 in reports of Europe and the United States.The incidence in China is unknown.In this paper,the advances on pathogenesis,clinical manifestations,diagnosis and treatment of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria will be reviewed so as to improve the understanding of this disease and provide reference for its clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1a:a case report / 临床儿科杂志

Objective To explore the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1a (CDG-Ⅰa), a rare inherited metabolic disease. Methods The clinical data and the gene detection results of one case of CDG-Ia which was discovered because the case had encephalopathy and hepatopathy were retrospectively analyzed. The related literatures were reviewed. Results Male infant suffered with face and trunk rash, motor development retardation, malnutrition, cheek fat plump, low limbs muscle tone, and bilateral crater nipple at 3 months old. Abnormal liver function and mild renal impairment were found after examination. The development quotient was low. Head MRI showed that bilateral frontal and temporal sulcus widening, and cerebellar atrophy. Urinary organic acids, amino acids, carnitine, and biotin activities were normal. Gene sequencing revealed that there were two heterozygous mutations, c.430T>C (p.F144L) and c.713G>C (p.R238P), in the PMM2 gene. The diagnosis of CDG-Ⅰa was confirmed. Both of the infant's parents were healthy, and each of them carries a pathogenic mutation. The infant had an elder brother who had mental disorder and died for liver and kidney function damage and hydronephrosis at 8 months old. Conclusion CDG-Ⅰa is an autosomal recessive disease. For infants with unexplained multiple organ damage, especially combined with intelligent and motor development retardations, strabismus, nipple retraction, and cerebellar atrophy, the possibility of CDG-Ⅰa should be considered. Gene detection of PMM2 can help the diagnosis.

Genetic analysis of Cornelia de Lange syndrome in one case / 临床儿科杂志

Objective To explore the clinical features and gene mutation types of Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS), an inherited metabolic disease. Methods The clinical data and gene detection results of one case of CdLS were retrospectively analyzed. Results Two-year-old male had special appearance, microcephaly, bushy eyebrows with both sides meeting in the midline, long curly eyelashes, low body mass, and motor and mental retardation. NIPBL gene detection found the variation of the nucleotide in c.7176T>A (nucleotide 7176 in coding region changed from T to A). Conclusions CdLS is a rare congenital inherited metabolic disease. The clinical manifestations were special appearance and signs. The c.7176T>A mutation in NIPBL gene has not been reported at home and abroad.

The clinical and genetic features of holocarboxylase synthetase deficiency in a male patient / 临床儿科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical, biochemical and genetic features of a Chinese boy with holocarboxylase synthetase deficiency (HCSD). Methods The clinical and genetic data of a rare case of HCSD were retrospectively analyzed. Results After birth, the boy showed development delay. At 3 months old, the boy was started with rehabilitation. Tandem mass spectrum and gas chromatography analysis was carried in the 5th month after birth because of the recurrent upper respiratory tract infection and elevated level of C5-OH in the blood and decreased level of C0,and elevated level of 3-OH-propionic, pyruvic acid, methylcrotonylglycine in the urine were in accordance with the HCSD. Genetic analysis found compound heterozygous mutations of c.1648G>A and c.1544G>A in gene, of which the latter one is novel. After the treatment of biotin (20 mg/d) and L-Carnitine, the condition of this boy was gradually improved. Conclutions HCSD is characterized with slow onset and inconspicuous manifestations. The confirmed diagnosis can be built with MS/MS, GC/MS analysis and gene mutation analysis. The effect of early biotin treatment is satisfactory. In this study,we carried out clinical and genetic diagnosis,which lays a solid foundation for prenatal diagnosis and early treatment.

Treatment of umbilical cord blood transplantation in pediatric rare diseases / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Rare diseases are very rare,but usually have severe symptoms.Some rare diseases are life-threatening.Most rare diseases cannot be cured.A very small part of these diseases can be cured by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).Umbilical cord blood transplantation(UCBT) is more suitable for children for the weak T cell immunity,the lower request for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) identity type and the lower incidence of graft versus host disease(GVHD).This article reviewed the published data in the treatment of UCBT in primary immunodeficiency disease,inherited metabolic disease,inflammatory bowel disease and bone marrow failure syndrome,in order to improve the level of rare disease treatment by HSCT,especially for UCBT.

Screening analysis of 4 710 cases of inherited metabolic diseases in high - risk infants using urease pretreat-ment-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To detect the incidence of inherited metabolic diseases(IMD)and disorders of metabo-lism in 4 710 high - risk infants,as well as providing basis of clinical diagnosis and treatment by using urease pretreat-ment - gas chromatography - mass spectrometry(UP - GC - MS). Methods Samples were collected from high - risk infants with IMD,after removing urea,putting in internal standard,removing protein,vacuum drying and bis (trimethyl - silyl)trifluoroacetamide / trimethyl - chlorosilane derivativing,UP - GC - MS was used to analyze compo-sitions such as organic acids,amino acids,carbohydrates,pyridoxines,purines and pyrimidines,then metabolic analysis was proceeded to refer to the normal detection value of the healthy children,finally a metabolic diagnosis was made ba-sing on the clinical data such as the high - risk clinical manifestations and general biochemical tests and other special examinations. Results In the 4 710 cases,there were 98 cases of IMD(2. 1% ),326 cases of suspected IMD(6. 9% ), 2 610 cases of metabolic disorders(55. 4% ). There were 98 cases of IMD,including 57 cases of methylmalonic aciduria,12 cases of propionic acidemia,7 cases of glutaric aciduria,5 cases of hyperphenylalaninemia,maple syrup u-rine disease and multiple carboxylase defects each,4 cases of isovaleric acidemia and 3 cases of 4 - hydroxy butyric acid urine disease. Conclusions UP - GC - MS is a effective way to diagnose IMD and metabolic disorders of infants. Common IMD in Guangdong Province include methylmalonic aciduria,propionic academia,glutaric aciduria,hyperphe-nylalaninemia,maple syrup urine disease and multiple carboxylase defects. The results of the tests can provide effective guidance for diagnosis and treatment of suspected infants.

Inherited Metabolic Diseases Screening in Children with Developmental Retardation: 97 Cases Report / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To summarize the result of blood examination for the children with the developmental retardation and suspected inherited metabolic diseases. Methods Tandem mass spectrometry was used to detect the small molecule metabolites content of acylcarnitine and amino acid in filter paper in 97 children from March 2010 to October 2013. Results There were 3 cases of positive (3.09%), 55 of suspicion (56.7%). Conclusion Tandem mass spectrometry is valuable to screen etiology for children with developmental retardation.

Inherited Metabolic Diseases Screening in Children with Developmental Retardation：97 Cases Report / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective To summarize the result of blood examination for the children with the developmental retardation and suspected inherited metabolic diseases. Methods Tandem mass spectrometry was used to detect the small molecule metabolites content of acylcarni-tine and amino acid in filter paper in 97 children from March 2010 to October 2013. Results There were 3 cases of positive (3.09%), 55 of suspicion (56.7%). Conclusion Tandem mass spectrometry is valuable to screen etiology for children with developmental retardation.

Hematological abnormality in inherited metabolic diseases / 临床儿科杂志

There are a variety of inherited metabolic diseases (IMD), the incidence is low and clinical manifestations are not char-acteristic. IMD primarily affect not only the nervous system, but also the blood system, which characterized by the abnormalities of blood cells and bone marrow. Because of some clinician's lack of this knowledge, some patients are prone to be misdiagnosed. To pro-mote early diagnosis, this article reviews five groups of IMD (lysosomal storage disease, vitaminopathies, organic aciduria, amino-acidopathies and others) and different hematological abnormal manifestations.

Speedy identification of inherited metabolic diseases in emergency and critical care center / 中国小儿急救医学

Acute severe manifestations of inherited metabolic diseases include disorders of the intoxication,disorders with disturbed energy metabolism and disorders of neurotransmission.Therefore,early diagnosis and treatment must be initiated in order to decrease risk of mental injury and damages or acute death.Emergency treatment need speedy diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases and diagnostic emergency first line laboratory evaluation should cover all differential diagnosies.All of the first line laboratory results are indispensable for planning and conducting the first steps of metabolic emergency treatment and should be available within 30 min.According to the clinical situation and biochemical derangement,secondary special metabolic investigations must be initiated in parallel.The results of all laboratory investigations relevant to the diagnosis of metabolic disorders for which specific emergency therapy exists should be available within 24 h.

Diagnosis and treatment of urea cycle disorder and hyperammonemia / 中国小儿急救医学

Urea cycle disorder is a common inherited metabolic disorder,and it is the most common genetic cause of hyperammoniema in children.The illness is believed to be caused by gene mutation of six main enzymes in urea cycle,leading to ammonia,which is produced by amino acid catabolism,can't conver to urea through the urea cycle and be discharged through the urine.The manifestations of hyperammonemia turn out to be disorders of brain function (refusing to milk,vomiting,drowsiness,coma,convulsions,ataxia,aggressive behaviors).The incidence of this disease is 1/30 000.At the same time,the severity of the clinical symptoms is connected with the extent of the enzymes defects.More serious the enzymes defected,the earlier and worse the disease onsets.Some children with mild enzyme defects may intermittently attack or have a delay onset.Serious nervous system injuries can be found in hyperammonernia,therefore,early diagnosis and treatment must be ensured in order to decrease risk of mental injuries and damages or acute deaths.

Inherited Metabolic Disease in the Neonatal Period: Approach to Clinical Diagnosis.

This review article highlighted the need for clinicians to be alert to the possibility of an inherited metabolic disease (IMD) being the cause of a neonatal illness and provided a systematic approach to clinical diagnosis when IMD is suspected. Inherited metabolic disease (IMD) must be considered in the differential diagnosis of an ill neonate with nonspecific unexplained features, such as poor feeding, lethargy, failure to gain weight/weight loss, coma, apnoea, hyperventilation, seizures and hypotonia. Investigation for IMD should begin with simple urine and blood screening tests. For example, the urine examination includes checking for unusual odours, urinalysis (for ketones, amino acids, and organic acids), and reducing substance in urine, ferric chloride test and dinitrophenylhydrazine test. This is followed by simple blood tests e.g., full blood count, glucose, ammonia, amino acids, urea and electrolytes ( Na, K, Cl, P, Ca) levels, creatinine levels, liver function tests, serum lactate/pyruvate ratio and blood gases. In neonates, ketonuria with acidosis is a very important laboratory finding pointing to IMD. Although the prognosis for patients with IMD presenting in the neonatal period is often poor, every effort must be made to establish the diagnosis for parental counselling and in case prenatal diagnosis is possible in future pregnancies. In conclusion, when presented with an ill full-term neonate with nonspecific, unexplained/peculiar features pursue the usual bacterial septicaemia work-up, but in addition, consider IMD and evaluate, timely, for metabolic disease. This approach is very useful since the commonest mistake in the management of a neonate with IMD is a delay in diagnosis or a misdiagnosis, resulting in a delay in starting treatment with catastrophic consequences.

A cost-benefit analysis on tandem mass spectrometry of inherited metabolic diseases in Korea

PURPOSE: Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is effective screening test for inherited metabolic diseases. In this study, we estimate potential costs and benefits of using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to screen newborns for inherited metabolic diseases (phenylketonuria, BH4 deficiency, citrullinemia, maple syrup urine disease, propionic aciduria, isovaleric aciduria, glutaric aciduria type 1, LCHAD deficiency) in Korea. METHODS: From April 2001 to March 2004, 79,179 newborns were screened for amino acid disorders, organic acid disorders, and fatty acid oxidative disorders. Twenty-eight newborns were diagnosed with one of the metabolic disorder and the collective estimated prevalence amounted to 1 in 2,800 with a sensitivity of 97.67%, a specificity of 99.28%, a recall rate of 0.05%, and a positive preditive value of 6.38%. We calculated and compared the total costs in case when neonatal screening on phenylketonuria, BH4 deficiency, citrullinemia, maple syrup urine disease, propionic aciduria, isovaleric aciduria, glutaric aciduria type 1, LCHAD deficiency is implemented, and when not. RESULTS: If the neonatal screening on phenylketonuria, BH4 deficiency, citrullinemia, maple syrup urine disease, propionic aciduria, isovaleric aciduria, glutaric aciduria type 1, LCHAD deficiency is implemented, total benefits far exceed costs at a ratio of 1.40:1. CONCLUSION: Although, this study only concerns the monetary aspects of the neonatal screening, tandem mass spcetrometry for neonatal screening is cost-effective compared with not screening. The study appears to support the introduction of tandem mass spectrometry into a Korea neonatal screening programme for inherited metabolic diseases.

Evolution and innovations of the National Neonatal and High Risk Screening Program in Costa Rica: [review]

We present the evolution, organization and results of the National Neonatal and High Risk Screening Program in Costa Rica (PNT). This program has been working uninterruptedly for more than fourteen years. Costa Rica currently has a literacy rate of 95%. To August 2004 the rate of infant mortality was 9.74 per 1000 births and to 2003, life expectancy was 76.3 years for men and 81.1 years for women. The control of infectious and parasitic diseases, as well as of severe malnutrition, has given room to a prevalence of chronic diseases with a pathology profile similar to that of a developed country. The clinical observation, mainly starting from early 70s, of a growing number of patients with mental retardation and other disabilities caused by congenital hypothyroidism and hereditary metabolic diseases that could have been prevented in many cases with an early diagnosis and opportune treatment, led us to the decision to implement a systematically massive neonatal screening for these diseases. The presence of a single Public System of Social Security in Costa Rica, which currently includes from primary health care up to the hospitals of tertiary attention, with a single Children's Hospital for the whole country, as well as communication facilities, are factors that offered, in principle, favorable conditions for this effort, even for a developing country. To September 2004, 835,217 children have been screened. There is a coverage of 95.1% of the newborns in the country. Also to this date, 259 children with congenital hypothyroidism, 18 with phenylketonuria, 20 with the maple syrup disease, 30 with congenital adrenal hyperplasia and 10 with galactosemia have been detected, confirmed and treated, for a total of 337 children that were spared of mental retardation, other disabilities and even death. Massive neonatal screening for organic acidemias recently started in June of 2004. Cystic fibrosis is under a pilot study and the screening for hemoglobinopathies and...