Benefits and Risks of Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis

Pulmonary Benefits of Cystic Fibrosis Neonatal Screening

Although cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common, life-threatening autosomal recessive genetic disorder of the white population, there are often delays in diagnosis and hence start of treatment. Advances of the past two decades have made CF screening feasible using routinely collected neonatal blood specimens and measuring an enzyme level followed by CF mutation DNA analysis. Our overall goal of the study is to see if early diagnosis of CF through neonatal screening will be medically beneficial without major risks. ''Medically beneficial'' refers to better nutrition and/or pulmonary status, whereas '' risks'' include laboratory errors, miscommunication or misunderstanding, and adverse psychosocial consequences. Specific aims include assessment of the benefits, risks, costs, quality of life, and cognitive function associated with CF neonatal screening and a better understanding of the epidemiology of CF.

A comprehensive, randomized clinical trial emphasizing early diagnosis as the key variable has been underway since 1985. Nutritional status has been assessed using height and weight measurements and biochemical methods. The results have demonstrated significant benefits in the screened (early diagnosis) group. We are now focusing on the effect of early diagnosis of CF on pulmonary outcome. Pulmonary status is measured using chest radiographs, chest scans using high resolution computerized tomography, and pulmonary function tests. Other factors that we are looking at include risk factors for the acquisition of respiratory pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, quality of life and cognitive function of children with CF who underwent early versus delayed diagnosis, as well as the cost effectiveness of screening and the costs of diagnosis and treatment of CF throughout childhood.

If the questions underlying this study are answered favorably, it is likely that neonatal screening using a combination of enzyme level (immunoreactive trypsinogen) and DNA test will become the routine method for identifying new cases of CF not only in the State of Wisconsin, but throughout the country.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Wisconsin
      • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53706
        • University Of Wisconsin
      • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, 53201
        • Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

1 month to 21 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Must have been born in the State of Wisconsin
  • Must have been born between April 15, 1985 and June 30, 1994
  • Must have had a valid newborn screening test for cystic fibrosis in the first 28 days of life.
  • Must have a sweat chloride test greater or equal to 60 mmol/Liter
  • Parental consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Philip M. Farrell, MD, PhD, Dean University of Wisconsin Medical School
  • Michael J. Rock, M.D., Dept. Pediatrics, UW Hospital
  • Mark Splaingard, Children's Hospital and Health System Foundation, Wisconsin
  • Anita Laxova, Dept. Pediatrics, UW Madison

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 14, 2001

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 13, 2001

First Posted (Estimate)

April 16, 2001

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 2, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 1, 2010

Last Verified

March 1, 2010

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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