Predicting the risk of atherosclerosis in patients with cystic fibrosis – rationale and design of a prospective cohort study

Abstract

The project “Risk of atherosclerosis in cystic fibrosis in relation to the exogenous and endogenous factors that influence the course of the disease” ranked first in the OPUS2 Competition, as announced in May 2012 by the Polish National Science Center. The total value of the grant is 198,580 PLN (ca. 50,000 EUR). The grant was awarded jointly to the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases and to the Department of Cardiac Intensive Care at Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland. The project will be focused on conducting a prospective cohort study in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and healthy controls. Cases of symptomatic and asymptomatic forms of coronary heart disease in patients with CF were reported [1, 2]; however, no data on the epidemiology of atherosclerosis in patients with CF were published so far. In the past, cardiovascular disease in patients with CF used to be limited to pulmonary heart disease as a consequence of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [3]. Although hypertension has not yet been officially recognized as a major problem in this population [4], there are reports indicating that it is found in 20% of patients in adult CF care centers [5]. The project is innovative in nature and necessitates close co-operation between cardiology and basic science units.