Three thousand infants scre

-in GBTI-supp

Over the past year, 3,000 infants were screened for sickle cell anaemia and congenital hypothyroidism in a pilot project at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).

The project, which was supported by the Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry (GBTI), has “provided valuable data and highlighted the need for continuous new-born screening in Guyana,” according to Dr Bibi Alladin-Karan, the project lead. Dr AlladinKaran was assisted by Dr Mohamed Rambarran, a statement from GBTI said.

“It was the first newborn screening test to be done in Guyana with about 3,000 babies being screened at [the] GPHC postnatal ward over a one-year period. These babies were screened for congenital hypothyroidism and haemoglobinopathies. The data obtained provided baseline values for the Guyanese population and highlighted the importance of new-born screening,” Dr Alladin-Karan was quoted as saying.

The statement said that during the project, once the mother’s consent was given, samples were taken at the GPH, and then sent to the Children’s Health Eastern Ontario laboratory in Canada for the testing to be done. A sample only required a prick of the baby’s heel to extract a small drop of blood which was all that was required, it noted.

The project emerged after Dr Alladin-Karan, during her practice at the GPH paediatrics department, recognised that children were diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia and congenital hypothyroidism after they would have presented some clinical manifestations of the diseases.

Sickle cell anemia, according to the Mayo Clinic, is an inherited form of anaemia — a condition in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body.

Congenital hypothyroidism (CHT), meanwhile, is a condition resulting from an absent or under-developed thyroid gland (dysgenesis) or one that has developed but cannot make thyroid hormone because of a ‘production line’ problem (dyshormonogenesis). According to the British Thyroid Foundation, babies with CHT cannot produce enough thyroid hormone for the body’s needs. The term ‘congenital’ means that the condition is present at birth. Untreated, CHT can result in impaired brain development.

Meantime, the statement noted that babies born with the sickle cell trait are only expected to live to about the age of 25-30 years old if treatment is not administered. Babies born with the trait for congenital hy tia de me tie the

be at dr re so the no O b s

B a

r S w m

s h

t d t l