Abstract
Introduction: Chronic Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (PsA) airways Colonization causes chronic infection and inflammation and gradually lung damage among patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Lung Clearance Index (LCI) can assess ventilation inhomogeneity.
Aim: To investigate whether LCI can predict the 1st Pa isolation in a previous negative patient.
Method: A total of 864 LCI measurements of 77 patients were evaluated over a five year period. We selected 48 LCI measurements corresponding to the 1st isolation of PsA in a former negative patient. Symptoms and signs were evaluated and correlated to the change of LCI.
Results: Forty eight patients were selected; mean (sd) age was 10.29 (5.24) years, mean (sd) height was 134.81 (22.27) cm and mean (sd) weight was 34.29 (15.99) kg, mean BMI 17.8 (3.2) kg/m2. LCI was significantly increased among previously negative patients colonized with PsA, (ΔLCI= 1.26, p<0.0001). Thirty -nine of the 48 patients (81.25%) newly colonized with PsA presented with no increased cough and/or sputum. ROC analysis showed that a change in LCI by 1.18 can predict new PsA colonization with 54.3% sensitivity and 71.2% specificity.
Conclusion: LCI can predict the first isolation of PsA in a previous negative patient even before the presence of respiratory symptoms.
- Copyright ©the authors 2017
