Should states adopt newborn screening for early infantile Krabbe disease?

Abstract

The published experience to date regarding implementing NBS for EIKD has been dramatically enhanced by the data presented in this issue by Orsini et al. Although much has been written about the potential harms to individuals with an abnormal NBS for EIKD who do not have EIKD, several commentators have also asked whether screening provides a benefit when it leads to early identification of the disorder. Orsini and colleagues’ data suggest that the state-mandated, multimillion-dollar NBS program for EIKD in New York has failed to provide significant benefit to children with EIKD. Indeed, in addition to the potential harm to families receiving false-positive test results, NBS for EIKD appears to have resulted in a reduction in survival in individuals who have the disease. The data from the New York program suggest that NBS for EIKD should be abandoned, pending the development of improved screening or therapies shown to confer both survival and quality-of-life benefits over supportive care. The results of this experience suggest that research efforts should be focused on improving presymptomatic treatment outcomes in children identified by NBS prior to the redeployment of mandatory presymptomatic screening.