These low levels may be a temporary finding or may be due to other conditions, referred to as ‘non-SCID TCLs’, and which have various causes. While screening would enable the earlier detection of all children with SCID, it will also identify false positives as well as children who have very low levels of T-cells for other reasons. Screening will identify children with low levels of T-cells (termed ‘T-cell lymphopenia’ or TCL).Screening for ADA-SCID, one specific type of SCID (that currently accounts for approximately half of SCID cases in Ireland) was introduced in May 2022.Decisions to implement screening programmes must therefore take consideration of these issues. Inaccurate results and incidental findings can have negative consequences for the affected individuals and their families. Screening programmes sometimes also detect other conditions, some of which have little or no clinical consequence or that do not benefit from early identification.
These are called false positives and false negatives. No screening test is 100% reliable, so sometimes test results are inaccurate.Where an individual is identified through screening as potentially having a certain condition, subsequent tests are performed to confirm the finding and make a diagnosis. Screening tests are carried out on people who seem to be healthy. A screening test is not a diagnostic test.Further information on newborn screening is available here. Newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) is performed to support early detection of treatable metabolic disorders or other inherited or congenital disorders in infants, so as to allow for effective early intervention to reduce the risk of illness or death.HIQA has been requested by the Department of Health to provide evidence synthesis support and evidence-based advice to NSAC under an agreed work programme.Further information on the NSAC is available here. The National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) was established in 2019 as an independent advisory committee to advise the Minister and Department of Health on all new proposals for population-based screening programmes and revisions to existing programmes.Health Technology Assessment of the addition of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) to the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme.The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published the following document:.Marty Whelan, Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
In this way, the benefits of screening can be considerable for children with SCID and their families."įind the full HTA at the link at the top of this page.