Abstract

In the first trimester of 1991 50419 newborn babies were screened for congenital hypothyroidism. In 663 cases (1.3%) the results led to either a request for a second heel card or referral to a pediatrician. In this group 100 babies appeared to be pre- or dysmature. For 40 children no data on birth weight or duration of pregnancy were provided. 355 children were screened according to the so called modified procedure. Of 1156 samples recoreded in 49 cases the date of sampling and in 3 cases the date of birth was not provided. In general, the sampling is carried out much later than recommended. On day 8, the last recommended day, only 62% of the newborns had been samples in this trimester. there is some variation between the laboratories with respect to the T4-level. The daily means in this trimester range from 120-152 pg/punch.