WS07.5 Rhinovirus associated pulmonary exacerbations show a lack of FEV1 improvement in children with cystic fibrosis

Abstract

Objectives Respiratory viral infections lead to bronchial inflammation in cystic fibrosis patients, especially during pulmonary exacerbations. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of viral associated pulmonary exacerbations in children with cystic fibrosis and failure to improve force expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) levels after an appropriate treatment. Methods Children with a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis were longitudinally evaluated three times: at baseline (Visit 1), at the diagnosis of pulmonary exacerbation (Visit 2) and after exacerbation treatment (Visit 3). Nasal and bronchial swabs were analyzed at each visit with multiplex viral respiratory PCR panel. Pulmonary function tests were recorded at each visit, in order to highlight a possible failure to improve them after treatment. Lack of improvement was defined by an increase of FEV1 less than 5% between Visit 2 and Visit 3. Results 18 children were included in the study. 10 patients failed to show an improvement of more than 5% in their FEV1 between Visit 2 and Visit 3. Rhinovirus infection at Visit 2 or Visit 3 was the only risk factor significantly associated with such a failure, both in univariate (OR 12, p Conclusion Rhinovirus infection seems to play a role in the FEV1 recovery after pulmonary exacerbation treatment in children with cystic fibrosis. Such an association needs to be confirmed by a large-scale study, since this finding may have important implication on pulmonary exacerbation management.