Impact of Early Lung Physiology, Viral Infections and the Microbiota on the Development and Progression of Lung Disease in Children With Cystic Fibrosis

Background:

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common lethal inherited disease in North European populations, affecting approximately 1:2500 live births. It is a multisystem disorder with respiratory morbidity and mortality being the leading cause of death. Lung disease in CF is characterized by neutrophil-dominated inflammation and chronic bacterial infection of the airways, which results in deterioration of lung function and premature death [1]. Despite improved survival in successive birth cohorts, the current median survival age of patients with CF is about 40 years [2]. Understanding the initiating events of CF lung disease (e.g viral infections and microbiome) and their influence on disease progression throughout early childhood is essential to improve survival through targeted early interventions.

Objectives:

The overarching aim of this study is to identify early life predictors of disease progression in children with CF. Therefore, this study implies three objectives, as follows: i) to investigate the effect of respiratory viral infections on microbiota dynamics in the first year of life in infants with CF, and to examine their influence on lung function at 1 year of age; ii) to examine whether deficits in lung function in the first year of life in infants with CF persist to pre- and school age and adolescence and are associated with impaired functional and structural abnormalities at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 years of age; and iii) to determine the principal drivers of impaired lung function at 1 year and impaired lung function and structural outcomes at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 years of age in individuals with CF.

Methods: