Worldwide Newborn Screening and Early Immunizations: Aligning Advances in Preventive Pediatrics

The year 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the publication in Pediatrics of the landmark paper by Guthrie and Susi describing a simple method for the neonatal detection of phenylketonuria (PKU) on dried blood spots collected on filter paper (often referred to as ‘Guthrie cards’) (1). These filter papers were then used for the presymptomatic detection of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) through the measurement of total T4 and/or TSH. Because newborn screening (NBS) led to cognitive outcomes within the normal range in children with PKU or CH, it was progres sively implemented as a public health program in all high-income countries (HICs).
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research