[Beginnings, evolution and current situation of the Newborn Screening Programs in Spain.].

Newborn Screening Programs (NSP) in Spain were born in the city of Granada in 1968. Till the 1980s, they were developed around the so-called "National Plan for Preventing Subnormality", covering up to 30% of the Spanish newborns. From 1982, when the health system management was transferred to the different autonomous regions, the NSP began to expand, and the bases to transform them into an organized and multidisciplinary activity, integrated and coordinated from the National Health System were settled.

Challenges in screening for congenital hypothyroidism: Optimization of thyrotropin cut-off values.

Background-aim: Different protocols exist for newborn screening of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) worldwide, with different thyrotropin cut-off values for repetition and confirmation tests. This study aimed to assess local protocol in terms of specificity and improve our screening process by optimizing thyrotropin cut-off values. Subsequently, the cut-off values obtained were retrospectively applied to evaluate the number of tests avoided.

Usefulness of Benedict's test for the screening of galactosemia.

Background: Benedict's test for the screening of galactosemia presents a high false-positive rate, which puts into question its usefulness.

Methods: We evaluated the results of Benedict's test as screening strategy for galactosemia, and the patients' definite diagnosis in our hospital in the last 25 years. We also assessed the most prevalent clinical conditions among the false-positive cases.

Histamine intolerance as a cause of chronic digestive complaints in pediatric patients.

Introduction: histamine intolerance (HI) is a poorly described disease in gastroenterology that may present with predominant digestive complaints. The goals of this study include a report of two cases diagnosed in a pediatric gastroenterology clinic.

Material And Methods: observational, retrospective study of patients diagnosed with HI from September 2010 to December 2011 at the pediatric gastroenterology clinic of a tertiary hospital.