Reflections on the First 100 Plus Babies with Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH) Seen after the Start of the National Screening Programme (NSP) in 1998 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - Abstract
Background: A comparison of outcomes for CH before and after the start of the NSP in the UAE.
Methods: Review of the findings of all the babies with CH seen in the period 1996 to 2004.
Results: Before the UAE NSP babies were usually diagnosed very late often with a bad outcome. The NSP resulted in much earlier diagnosis and better outcome. The incidence of CH was high compared to most other studies and eutopic hypothyroidism was nearly as common as ectopic hypothyroidism. Some of the former could come off treatment later and some of the latter were very mild.
Conclusion: The most important conclusion is that the NSP is very worthwhile with generally good outcomes.