A Comparison of Effectiveness of Screening for Phenylketonuria in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland

Abstract

A study of the effectiveness of screening for phenylketonuria in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States indicated that the diagnosis is more likely to be missed in the latter two countries because of the earlier age at which infants are screened. Furthermore, in the United States, diagnosis and treatment are delayed as compared with Ireland and the United Kingdom. Because the test most commonly used to detect phenylketonuria is identical in all three countries, the differences in effectiveness are attributable to the way in which it is applied.