Mental retardation following diagnosis of a metabolic disorder in children aged 3-10 years--metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, 1991-1994.
One of the largest population-based disease intervention programs in the United States is newborn metabolic screening. Since the mid- to late 1970s, newborns have been screened routinely for one or more metabolic disorders. The goal of early identification and treatment of metabolic disorders is prevention of the serious medical and developmental consequences of the disorders (e.g., mental retardation [MR]). Despite this goal, the United States has no mechanism for systematic surveillance of the developmental status of children who screen positive for and subsequently have metabolic disorders diagnosed. To determine the number of selected developmental disabilities attributable to metabolic disorders detected by newborn screening, CDC conducted a preliminary investigation of children with developmental disabilities and metabolic disorders in the metropolitan Atlanta area using data from the Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (MADDSP). This report summarizes the results of this investigation, which indicate that newborn screening is highly effective in reducing the burden of MR associated with these disorders.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008661:Metabolism, Inborn Errors / Q000150:complications*; D011159:Population Surveillance