Newborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Newborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) began in the late 1970s with the development of a laboratory test suitable for testing blood collected on filter paper, followed by pilot testing in Alaska. Since that time, newborn screening for CAH has continually expanded until today it is part of approximately 50% of the newborn screening programs in the United States and exists in many countries around the world. This article explains how and why the CAH newborn screening programs work.