View article

A study was undertaken to evaluate whether an early diagnosis by neonatal screening may improve the long term prognosis of patients with cystic fibrosis and to assess the influence of expert management started immediately after the diagnosis. Comparative clinical follow up in three birth cohorts of patients with cystic fibrosis was performed at the Cystic Fibrosis centre in Groningen in close collaboration with paediatricians in general hospitals in the north-eastern part of the Netherlands. The first birth cohort (n = 19) was detected by screening and the two other cohorts were detected clinically, one (n = 30) consisting of patients born during the screening programme and the other (n = 32) of patients born during the six years immediately after the screening programme ended. The total number of patients in the three birth cohorts included all patients with cystic fibrosis born in this area …