Improved survival albeit with persistent disparities in prognosis for people with cystic fibrosis in European countries

Cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease caused by variants in the gene encoding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. CFTR dysfunction results in abnormal chloride and bicarbonate transport in epithelial cells, leading to a multiorgan disease dominated by respiratory and digestive manifestations. The respiratory disease, which is characterized by airway mucus plugging, chronic bacterial infection and progressive development of bronchiectasis, may lead to chronic respiratory failure, which is the main cause of premature death in people with CF. Over the past 50 years, major progress has been obtained by implementing multidisciplinary care, including nutritional support, airway clearance techniques and antibiotics in specialized CF centers. The past 10 years have further seen the progressive development of oral medications, called CFTR modulators, that partially restore ion transport and lead to a major improvement in clinical manifestations and lung function, presumably resulting in longer survival. Although an increasing proportion of people with CF are being treated with CFTR modulators, challenges remain regarding access to CFTR modulators due to their high cost, and their lack of marketing approval and/or effectiveness in people with rare CFTR variants. The anticipated increase in the number of adults with CF and their aging also challenge the current organization of CF care. The purpose of this review article is to describe current status and future perspective of CF disease and care.

The Changing Epidemiology of Cystic Fibrosis: The Implications for Adult Care

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease in which mutations in the gene encoding for the CF transmembrane conductance regulator protein result in a multisystem disease dominated by digestive and respiratory manifestations. In the mid-20th century, CF caused death within the first years of life. Over the past decades, advances in disease management, which includes systematic neonatal screening, multidisciplinary symptomatic CF care, lung transplantation and, more recently, highly effective CF transmembrane conductance regulator modulators, have transformed the prognosis of people with CF markedly. In most countries with well-established CF care, adults now outnumber children, and life expectancy is expected to increase further, narrowing the survival gap with the general population. However, marked differences in the prognosis of CF exist not only among high-, low-, and middle-income countries but also among high-income countries, based on the presence and quality of a specialized CF care provision network. Current evidence suggests that differences in patient clinical status and survival could be attributable not only to intrinsic disease severity but also to disparities in access to high-quality specialized care. Because CF is generally a progressive disease, adults with CF often show increased pulmonary severity and complications and increased occurrence of comorbidities, which highlights the need for specialized adult CF centers. This article seeks to describe the evolution of CF demography over the past decades, predict future trends, and anticipate the future provision of adult CF care.