Longitudinal evaluation of bronchopulmonary disease in children with cystic fibrosis.

Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) develop bronchopulmonary disease at variable ages. Determining the epidemiology of chronic lung disease and quantifying its severity, however, have been difficult in infants and young children. As part of the Wisconsin CF Neonatal Screening Project, we were presented with an ideal opportunity to assess longitudinally the evolution of symptoms, signs, and quantitative measures of CF respiratory disease.

Delayed diagnosis of US females with cystic fibrosis.

This study was conducted to examine a patient's age and condition at the time of diagnosis as one potential factor contributing to the "gender gap" in cystic fibrosis. The study population consisted of 11,275 US patients diagnosed during 1986-1998 and reported to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Registry in the same or the following calendar year. Parallel analyses were performed for Wisconsin patients identified prospectively during 1985-1994 to obtain more detailed information on their condition at diagnosis.