A systematic review of population screening for fragile X syndrome

Abstract

Purpose: To conduct a systematic review of literature regarding population-based screening for fragile X syndrome in newborns and women of reproductive age, either before or during pregnancy.

Methods: Seven electronic databases were searched for English language studies published between January 1991 and November 2009. Data extraction was performed for all included studies. Results were synthesized using a narrative approach.

Results: One article that examined offering newborn screening for fragile X syndrome and 10 that examined the offer of fragile X syndrome screening to women of reproductive age were identified. Two of these articles also addressed psychosocial aspects of population screening for fragile X syndrome such as attitudes to screening and experiences of screening, and a further nine addressed these issues alone. Studies exploring psychosocial issues demonstrated challenges for counseling arising from a lack of awareness or personal experience with fragile X syndrome in the general population.

Conclusions: Targeted counseling and educational strategies will be essential to support women from the general population. It is crucial that future studies offering screening for fragile X syndrome explore a range of psychosocial aspects in addition to looking at uptake of testing and mutation frequency.