title: [Neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism: more than 30 years of experience in the Netherlands].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the Dutch neonatal screening programme for congenital hypothyroidism (CH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on neonatal screening for CH in the period 1 January 1981 through 31 December 2011 were obtained from the Department for Vaccine Supply and Prevention Programmes of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), laboratories and paediatricians to whom babies with abnormal screening results were referred. The screening procedure has been amended several times. In the period 1981-1994, only T4 and TSH were measured in heel prick blood, for example. From 1995, thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) was added to the screening protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participation rate was 99.7%. Before 1995 the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value were 94%, 99.51% and 6%, respectively. From 1995 these percentages were 98%, 99.85% and 21%, respectively. The total prevalence of CH was 1:2670 (prevalence of CH of thyroidal origin was 1:3100 and CH of central origin was 1:21,600). The percentages of patients with severe CH treated before day 15 in the periods 1981-1990, 1991-2000 and 2001-2011 were 24% (63/263), 63% (170/269) and 96% (176/184), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sensitivity and specificity of the screening procedure has considerably increased since 1995 compared with the period before 1995. In recent years patients with severe CH were treated considerably earlier than in the first years of the screening. Neonatal screening for CH may be considered as an important success for public health care.
authors.affiliation: TNO, Child Health Department, Leiden.
authors.forename: Paul H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Verkerk
authors.forename: A S Paul
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: van Trotsenburg
authors.forename: J J Gera
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hoorweg-Nijman
authors.forename: Wilma
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Oostdijk
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: van Tijn
authors.forename: Marlies J E
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kempers
authors.forename: Erica L T
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: van den Akker
authors.forename: Jerard G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Loeber
authors.forename: L H Bert
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Elvers
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vulsma
mesh_terms: D003409:Congenital Hypothyroidism / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D013975:Thyroxine-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D013975:Thyroxine-Binding Proteins; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine