Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis Is Cost-Effective

The cost of screening is offset by lower treatment costs.

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) is gaining acceptance. Investigators in the U.K. used a national registry to assess the cost-benefit of newborn CF screening. They compared estimated yearly treatment costs for 184 CF patients who were diagnosed by newborn screening and 950 CF patients who were diagnosed based on clinical symptoms at ages 1 to 9 years in 2002.

The treatment cost was 40% less for CF children diagnosed by newborn screening than for those diagnosed clinically (mean cost, US$7228 vs. US$12,008). The cost was 50% less for children diagnosed using homozygous ΔF508 newborn screening compared with those diagnosed clinically. After adjustments for age and Pseudomonas infections, clinically diagnosed children had higher treat…

Reviewing Author

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD