Journal
JOURNAL OF THE FORMOSAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Volume 114, Issue 1, Pages 12-16Publisher
ELSEVIER TAIWAN
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2012.10.020
Keywords
newborn screening; severe combined immunodeficiency disease; T-cell receptor excision circles; TRECs
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Background/Purpose: In order to know the true incidence of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) in a Chinese population, we conducted and implemented SCID newborn screening in Taiwan. Methods: Between May 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011, the National Taiwan University Hospital Newborn Screening Center screened all newborns for T-cell lymphopenia by measuring the copy number of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and RNase P. Newborns with low TREC values were subjected to complete blood cell counts and flow cytometry. Results: A total of 106,391 newborns were screened using the TREC assay over a period of 19 months. Five newborns were immediately referred for confirmatory tests, including two SCID patients and two patients with persistent T-cell lymphopenia; a third SCID patient was found 2 months after the study period. All three SCID cases received stem cell transplantation at the age of 2-5 months. We also identified five cases of 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome. During this period, two SCID patients from among the unscreened newborns were reported, and they died at ages 3 months and 4 months, respectively. Conclusion: Newborn screening to measure the number of TREC copies successfully identifies newborns with T-cell lymphopenia, 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome, and other high-risk conditions. Taken together, the incidence of T-cell lymphopenia in apparently healthy newborns is more than 1 in 11,821, and further attention to their immune functions is warranted. Copyright (C) 2012, Elsevier Taiwan LLC & Formosan Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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