Hardeep Kaur

and 4 more

Background: There is a lack of studies on outcomes in cystic fibrosis (CF) in children from developing countries like India. Identifying risk factors for mortality may help identify the high-risk group and plan policy management of such patients. Objective: To determine the factors associated with outcomes among Indian children with CF. Design: Retrospective analysis of data collected from January 2010 to Dec 2020. Setting: Tertiary care hospital in Northern India. Participants: Children diagnosed with CF during the study period. Methods: We extracted data related to demography, clinical features, laboratory data and outcome from children’s medical records with CF. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed to identify variables associated with mortality. Results: We enrolled 178 children, and there were 32 (18.0%) deaths. Significant factors associated with mortality included history of neonatal complications; hazard ratio (HR): 8.5 (95% CI, 3.0 - 23.9, p < 0.001), low Z-scores for body mass index (BMI) at the time of diagnosis; HR: 7.1 (95% CI 2.3 - 22.0, p < 0.001), FEV1/FVC at the time of diagnosis; HR: 5.1 (95% CI, 1.65 - 15.4, p-value < 0.004), and FEV1 25-75; HR: 3.6 (95% CI, 1.1- 11.8, p-value = 0.03). Conclusions: Factors associated with increased risk of mortality included presence of neonatal complications, low BMI and lower pulmonary function test results. Low BMI and low PFT indices are modifiable and possibly can be improved by early diagnosis. A new-born screening test may help in early diagnosis and identification of the neonatal problem of CF.