OBJECTIVESTo summarize neonatal screening for phenylketonuria (PKU) and congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in China, to further clarify incidence of the two kinds of diseases in newly-born babies, and to explore issues in neonatal screening and their solutions.

METHODSNeonatal screening for PKU and CH was conducted by 39 neonatal screening centers all over the country, sponsored by the Group of Neonatal Screening, Chinese Society of Child Health Care, Chinese Preventive Medical Association and the Center for Neonatal Screening Quality Control Laboratory, National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL). In each infant a heel prick blood sample was collected at 72 hours postnatal onto standard filter paper. PKU was screened by bacterial inhibition assay and fluorometric method, and CH was screened by TSH measurement by time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA), fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (FEIA) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA).

RESULTSFrom 1985 to 2001 in China, totally of 5 817 280 newborns were screened for PKU, 522 cases of PKU detected with an incidence of 1:11 144, and 5 524 019 newborns were screened for CH, 1 836 cases of CH detected with an incidence of 1:3 009. Annual average number of newborns screened for congenital genetic diseases was increased by 45.5% in recent six years.

CONCLUSIONSNeonatal screening was developed quickly in China in recent years, especially in some developed cities, such as Shanghai with a coverage of 98.3% in 2001. But, its coverage was about only 10% in China as a whole. In development of neonatal screening, it is necessary to attach more importance to quality of screening and increasing coverage of screening, as well as gradual development of new screening techniques for other neonatal preventable diseases, in addition to PKU and CH, and their application, and improvement of level of child health care in China.