The screening, which was first mooted 11 years ago, will be carried out as part of the heel prick test, and is due to begin in June, writes RONAN McGREEVY
NEWBORNS ARE to be routinely screened for the lung disease cystic fibrosis under proposals being introduced by the Health Service Executive (HSE) this year.
Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis is due to start in June, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland (CFI). It will be part of the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme, better known as the heel prick test, which already identifies a raft of potential diseases.
The cystic fibrosis screening programme was first mooted 11 years ago and a steering group was set up to advise on the implementation of it.
Treatment and management of cystic fibrosis has developed considerably in recent years, particularly as a consequence of the Pollock Report, published by the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland in 2005, and the CF Services Report, published by the HSE in 2009, which both strongly endorsed the introduction of newborn screening for the disease.
A study carried out by Temple St Children’s Hospital and Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, which was published three years ago, found that boys are an average of three years old when they are diagnosed and girls an average of seven.
The disparity was attributed to the belief that stunted growth, which can be a symptom of early childhood cystic fibrosis, is easier to spot in boys rather than girls, and that boys are perceived to be more energetic at a young age and thus more likely to experience breathlessness.
Research published in the Irish Medical Journal last year also outlined the benefits of an early screening programme for the disease, which affects 1,300 people in Ireland.
A commitment to introduce it in the second half of the year is in the HSE’s service plan for 2011. A HSE statement said that planning to allow it to happen was well under way.
“This development will allow for children with CF to be identified early and provided with care and assessment in a more timely manner,” it said.
Ireland has the highest rate of cystic fibrosis in the world, yet it is one of the few European countries which has not had a newborn CF screening programme.
Chief executive of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland, Philip Watt, said the screening test would make a “huge difference” to children born with CF.
He said many young children with the disease end up losing weight and being prone to infection and it can be difficult to diagnose as children get older.
“Early diagnosis also means early intervention and medical treatment can commence immediately,” Mr Watt said.
“The introduction of CF screening has also been shown to reduce hospital admissions and the need for invasive therapy, and is cost effective.”