Newborn Screening for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia in India: What Do We Need to Watch Out for?

Abstract

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is a disorder-an ideal candidate to deserve newborn screening. CAH accounts for a significant mortality and morbidity in India, and its awareness among obstetricians should be treated as highly important to prevent the problem. It is very important for a country like India as the incidence of CAH is reasonably high justifying screening program. However, there are simple logistics that need to be followed, and the treating physicians need to be aware of, if one has to reduce the number of false positives and recalls. This article takes one through the steps involved in the analysis, interpretation, and reasons for false positives, why the false positives, so that unnecessary calls to parents for repeat sampling are minimized along with the emphasis and the need for the routine screening for CAH. The results of samples can vary depending on the gestational age of the baby, weight of the baby, sampling time, and the knowledge of these data to the treating Obstetrician and Pediatrician is of paramount importance in preventing repeat samples and frustration for the family and the people involved.