title: Newborn screening: experiences in the Middle East and North Africa.
abstract: This review presents the current experiences with newborn screening in the Middle East and North Africa region. The population in the region is about 400 million, with high birth rate and an estimated 10 million newborns per year. The majority of the population is of the Islamic faith and mostly Arab. The population is characterized by a high consanguinity (25-70%) and a high percentage of first-cousin marriages. Haemoglobin disorders, inherited metabolic disorders, neurogenetic disorders and birth defects are relatively common among the population. There is a rather slow progress in developing and implementing preventive genetic programmes owing to legal, cultural, political and financial issues. Although research spending is rather soft in the region, there are numerous pilot studies that highlighted the high incidence of genetic defects and the need for newborn screening programmes. Currently, there are only four countries that are executing national newborn screening but they vary from one disease to 23 and coverage is not complete. The region needs to take big steps towards developing national strategies for prevention and should learn from experiences of regional and international screening programmes.
authors: National Laboratory for Newborn Screening, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, MBC-03, PO Box 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors: A A
authors: AA
authors: Saadallah
authors: M S
authors: MS
authors: Rashed
mesh_terms: D000352:Africa, Northern; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology; D003241:Consanguinity; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008661:Metabolism, Inborn Errors / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology; D008877:Middle East; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D010865:Pilot Projects
references: Fertil Steril. 2007 Jun;87(6):1468.e1-3
references: 17336976
references: J Inherit Metab Dis. 1991;14(2):174-88
references: 1886403
references: Ann Hum Biol. 2005 Mar-Apr;32(2):174-9
references: 16096214
references: Lancet. 2006 Mar 25;367(9515):970-1
references: 16564347
references: Saudi Med J. 2004 Nov;25(11):1549-54
references: 15573176
references: Pediatrics. 2006 Aug;118(2):448-56
references: 16882794
references: J Paediatr Child Health. 2002 Oct;38(5):511-7
references: 12354271
references: Ann Trop Paediatr. 2002 Mar;22(1):93-6
references: 11926058
references: J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Sep;17(9):1201-9
references: 15506679
references: Eur J Pediatr. 1987 Jan;146(1):59-60
references: 3582406
references: Ann Saudi Med. 2003 Nov-Dec;23(6):354-7
references: 16868367
references: Eur J Pediatr. 2000 May;159(5):303-9
references: 10834512
references: Mayo Clin Proc. 2005 Jan;80(1):63-73
references: 15667031
references: Nat Genet. 1994 Oct;8(2):117-21
references: 7842008
references: Brain Dev. 1994 Nov;16 Suppl:1-6
references: 7726374
references: East Mediterr Health J. 2006;12 Suppl 2:S22-8
references: 17361675
references: Clin Chem. 2006 Jul;52(7):1439-40
references: 16798975
references: J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl. 2001 Jul 5;758(1):27-48
references: 11482732
references: East Mediterr Health J. 2003 May;9(3):324-32
references: 15751925
references: Hum Hered. 1997 Jan-Feb;47(1):33-7
references: 9017977
references: J Inherit Metab Dis. 2005;28(6):877-83
references: 16435180
references: Eur J Pediatr. 1990 Mar;149(6):391-2
references: 2332004
references: Pediatrics. 2006 May;117(5 Pt 2):S350-4
references: 16735262
references: Pediatr Res. 1995 Sep;38(3):324-31
references: 7494654
references: BMJ. 2006 Oct 21;333(7573):839-42
references: 17053238
references: J Child Neurol. 1992 Apr;7 Suppl:S4-11
references: 1588014
references: Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev. 2006;12(4):280-7
references: 17183577
references: J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 1992;67(3-4):443-63
references: 1296972
references: Brain Dev. 2007 Oct;29(9):543-6
references: 17314022
references: Acta Paediatr Taiwan. 2003 May-Jun;44(3):126-9
references: 14521015
references: East Mediterr Health J. 2001 Nov;7(6):1004-11
references: 15332742
references: Ann Saudi Med. 1997 Sep;17(5):562-4
references: 17339793
references: Clin Chem. 1997 Jul;43(7):1129-41
references: 9216448
references: Clin Chem. 1995 Aug;41(8 Pt 1):1109-14
references: 7628085
references: BMJ. 2006 Oct 21;333(7573):819
references: 17053218
references: Mol Genet Metab. 2001 Sep-Oct;74(1-2):64-74
references: 11592804
references: BMC Med Genet. 2006 Dec 16;7:86
references: 17173698
references: J Trop Pediatr. 1992 Jun;38(3):113-5
references: 1507302
references: J Med Genet. 1987 Jun;24(6):362-5
references: 3612707
references: Saudi Med J. 2003 Nov;24(11):1168-75
references: 14647548
references: East Mediterr Health J. 1999 Nov;5(6):1114-20
references: 11924098
references: Community Genet. 2005;8(1):52-5
references: 15767757
references: Semin Perinatol. 1999 Apr;23(2):183-93
references: 10331469
references: Prenat Diagn. 2006 Mar;26(3):248-57
references: 16475227
references: BMJ. 2006 Oct 21;333(7573):831-4
references: 17053236
references: J Trop Pediatr. 1998 Apr;44(2):81-3
references: 9604594