Follow-up of the Cohort of Newborns Screened at Birth Using TREC Analysis

Since September 2025, neonatal screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) has been generalized in France. These genetic disorders, which are asymptomatic at birth, cause severe immunodeficiency, exposing infants to serious infections (viral, bacterial, or fungal) as early as the first year of life. Without early treatment and management, infectious complications can be life-threatening.

Studies show that this screening improves survival and quality of life and reduces treatment costs by enabling intervention before complications arise.

In France, the Ministry of Health referred this matter to the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), which issued a favorable opinion in January 2022 via a ministerial decree (published on April 16, 2025) regarding the combined screening for DICS and spinal muscular atrophy. These authorizations follow the DEPISTREC study (2015-2017), which demonstrated the effectiveness of this screening: 190,517 children were screened, resulting in a reduction in DICS-related deaths.

The primary objective of the study will be to describe the underlying causes of T-cell lymphopenia identified in newborns through neonatal screening by quantifying TRECs on Guthrie cards. (SCID; variant SCID; syndromic T-cell deficiency; secondary T-cell deficiency; attenuated SCID; Omenn syndrome; immunosuppressive treatment in the mother; not found; isolated prematurity).