In this research we evaluated the time spent in several follow-up steps of the screening mechanism of the "Early Detection of Congenital Hypothyroidism Program", its coverage and its occurrence in the civil health service in Sergipe. To accomplish this purpose, we raised data for all the infants (2994) that had been submitted to screening for neonatal hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria in the period from June to December of 1995. We verified that the age at the time of the examination was 30±19 days (mean±SD). When the result arrived at the Healthy Center was 48±7 days, the families were informed 66±18 days, the infants were reviewed by the Health Center pediatrician at the age of 80±40 days. Children with altered results were still referred to specialized centers without priority. Regarding the coverage, only 5% of the infants from the interior of the state and 42% from the capital, on average, were covered by the test. This extended process and the inefficient coverage of infants submitted to screening, confirm the hypothesis that this government program is not achieving its main objectives: the timely treatment and the coverage of all newborn infants, in order to prevent their impact.
Congenital hypothyroidism; Screening tests; Cost-effectiveness ratio; Thyroxine
