Neonatal screening in the state of Piaui: an urgent need - a study on the prevalence of sickle cell disease in newborns Tests to detect hemoglobins were carried out using high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the Variant II (BioRad) system. On including hemoglobinopathies in the PNTN, the Ministry of Health took an important step towards acknowledging the relevance of the matter to public health in Brazil. Adorno et al. reported the prevalence of variant hemoglobins in 590 newborns in the city of Salvador; 0.2% for Hb FS and 0.9% for Hb FSC, thus demonstrating the high rate of sickle cell disease in the population, as well as the high prevalence (9.8%) of the sickle disease trait(6). The city of Teresina registered rates of 0.5% for Hb FS and 3.8% for Hb FAS. A 2006 survey by Pinheiro et al. of 389 newborns in the city of Fortaleza registered figures of 0.2% for Hb SS and 3.8% for Hb AS(8). A survey conducted of 1903 newborns in the city of Natal revealed a prevalence of only 0.05% for Hb SS and 1.5% for Hb AS(7). The city of Teresina registered 0.5% of Hb FS and 3.8% of Hb FAS, a fact which may be explained by the fact that the state of Piauí has a significantly high black population. These figures reflect need for the immediate implementation of phase II of the PNTN in the state of Piauí and the creation of a multi-disciplinary care network for sickle cell patients. xxx References 1. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Departamento de Apoio à Gestão Participativa. Seminário Nacional de Saúde da População Negra [Internet]. Brasília: MS; 18 a 20 agosto de 2004. [cited 2012 Jul 30]. Available from: http://portal.saude.gov.br/portal/arquivos/pdf/caderno_ textos_basicos_snspn.pdf 2. Laguardia J. No fio da navalha: anemia falciforme, raça e as implicações no cuidado à saúde. Rev Est Feministas. [Internet] 2006 [cited 2012 Jan 12];14(1):243-62. Available from: http://www.redalyc.org/src/inicio/ ArtPdfRed.jsp?iCve=38114113 3. Oliveira F. Saúde da população negra: Brasil ano 2001[Internet]. Brasília: Organização Pan Americana da Saúde; 2003. [cited 2012 Jul 27]. Available from: http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoes/0081.pdf 4. Naoum PC. Prevalência e controle da hemoglobina S. Rev Bras Hematol Hemoter. 2000;22(2):142-8. 5. Steinberg MH. Sickle cell anemia, the first molecular disease: overview of molecular etiology, pathophysiology, and therapeutic approaches. S cientific World J. 2008;8:1295-324. 6. Adorno EV, Couto FD, Moura Neto JP, Menezes JF, Rêgo M, Reis MG, et al. Hemoglobinopathies in newborns from Salvador, Bahia, Northeast Brazil. Cad Saúde Pública. 2005;21(1):292-8. 7. de Araújo MC, Serafim ES, de Castro Jr WA, de Medeiros TM. [Prevalence of abnormal hemoglobins in newborns in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil]. Cad Saude Publica. 2004;20(1):123-8. Portuguese. 8. Pinheiro LS, Gonçalves RP, Tomé CA, Alcântara AE, Marques AR, Silva MM. Prevalência de hemoglobina S em recém nascidos de Fortaleza: importância da investigação neonatal. Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2006;28(2):122-5. Rev Bras Hematol Hemoter. 2012;34(5):392-3 393