Neonatal Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism in Nicaragua: Audit of a Cord-blood Thyrotropin-based Program (2005-2015)

Abstract The aim of this study is to evaluate the Nicaraguan screening program for congenital hypothyroidism in terms of coverage and effectiveness of detection and confirmation of cases with the condition throughout a decade. Thyrotropin was quantified in cord-blood samples by a validated ELISA and a cut-off of 20 mU/l was applied. Coverage, positive predictive value, recall rate and prevalence were retrospectively analysed. Babies with positive screening results were contacted for confirmation by means of determination of thyrotropin and thyroid profile in serum samples. 272,338 babies were ...