MANAGEMENT OF PULMONARY INFECTIONS IN CYSTIC FIBROSIS
Inhaled antibiotics are being used by over 60 percent of U.S. patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have tested positive to the most significant pathogen affecting those with CF. The advantages of the technique involve direct delivery of high-dose antibiotics to an individual's bronchial space and limited systemic absorption and toxicity. These details are part of a comprehensive "State of the Art" article on the "Pathophysiology and Management of Pulmonary Infections in Cystic Fibrosis." The report is published in the second issue for October 2003 of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. CF is a hereditary disease that causes certain glands to produce abnormal secretions. The trait for the disease is recessive and requires two genes to produce illness. When two genes are abnormal, chloride and sodium transport across cell membranes is disrupted, leading to dehydration and increased stickiness of secretions. As part of the disease process, the mucus-producing glands in the lungs produce abnormal secretions that clog the airways and allow bacteria to grow. Across the U.S. population with CF, the average decline in lung function test scores is 2 percent per year. CF is the most common life-shortening genetic disorder in the white population. In the U.S. in 2001, the estimated median age to death for CF victims was 34.4 years, up six years from 1996. The authors point out that appropriate antibiotic therapy directed against bacterial pathogens isolated from the respiratory tract is an essential component of the management of CF lung disease. The articles notes that some initial studies with gene therapy have been encouraging, but significant barriers remain before efficient delivery and long-term expression of the transgene in the airway is achieved.
For the complete text of these articles, please see the American Thoracic Society Online Web Site at http://www.atsjournals.org . For either contact information or to request a complimentary journalist subscription to ATS journals online, or if you would like to add your name to the Society's twice monthly journal news e-mail list, contact Cathy Carlomagno at 212-315-6442, or by e-mail at ccarlomagno@thoracic.org
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine