U. of Michigan boosts screening for CF carriers: observational study.(Obstetrics)

SANTIAGO, CHILE -- A new initiative to expand cystic fibrosis screening to more white patients at the University of Michigan is a success, Dr. Kathleen Hanlon-Lundberg said at the FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

In October 2001, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended cystic fibrosis (CF) carrier screening for all couples in which at least one partner was white and who were planning a pregnancy or seeking prenatal care.

The carrier rate for CF among whites is an estimated 1:22, compared with a 1:51 carrier rate for nonwhites.

"We have to do it--what ACOG says is considered the standard of care," said Dr. Hanlon-Lundberg of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

With little warning, Dr. Hanlon-Lundberg and her colleagues had to educate physicians, patients, and lab personnel about the new program, as well as develop a consent form, patient information form, and laboratory form.

In the observational study that Dr. Hanlon-Lundberg described at the meeting, laboratory records for CF screenings that were done between March 1, 2002, and Feb. 28, 2003, were matched with medical records for patient demographics and pregnancy outcomes.

In the program's first year, at least one partner in 624 couples was screened for CF; 14 of these couples had a family history of the disease.