Growth and lung function in Asian patients with cystic fibrosis

The incidence of cystic fibrosis (CF) in Asians is rare. How these patients fare in terms of morbidity and mortality in the UK compared to their non-Asian peers is not well documented.

To retrospectively study annual reviews of 31 Asian CF patients from three London paediatric CF centres.

Disease severity was assessed by lung function, age at first infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and body mass index (BMI). The Asian children were compared with 143 matched non-Asian patients with CF. Matching criteria used were same sex and treatment centre as the Asian index patient. In addition, the controls were matched so that their date of birth, date of diagnosis, and date at annual review were within 12 months of the index patient.

There was no significant difference in age at diagnosis or age at annual review between the Asian and non-Asian children. Mean Z-scores for FEV1 and FVC were significantly lower for the Asian girls. There was no significant difference in Z-scores for BMI between the Asian children and their controls. Age at first isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Asian girls was significantly later than for their controls (8.3 years compared to 5.6 years for non-Asian girls).

While the Asian boys' lung function seems comparable with that of their non-Asian peers, the Asian girls emerge as a potentially vulnerable group and more work is required to discover why this is the case.