Pediatric population with cystic fibrosis in the centre of Portugal: candidates for new therapies

Abstract Objectives: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a severe autosomal recessive disease that results from mutations in a gene encoding the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein, a chloride channel. This study aims to characterize the clinical and genetic features of a cohort of pediatric people with CF (PwCF) in the center of Portugal and to determine which ones are candidates for the new drugs modulating the CFTR channel. Methods: A review of the demographic, genetic and clinical characteristics of PwCF undergoing follow-up at a CF reference center was carried out. Results: Twenty-three PwCF (12 male), with a median age of 12 years, were followed up. All patients carry the F508del mutation in at least one allele. Fifteen PwCF were F508del-homozygous, median BMI z-score was -0.13, all are pancreatic insufficient and median FEV1 value was 78.1%. These PwCF are eligible for dual therapy (lumacaftor/tezacaftor+ivacaftor) and for triple therapy (tezacaftor+ivacaftor+elexacaftor). PwCF with 711 +1G->T (n = 2), 2184insA (n = 1) mutations and a novel mutation c.3321dup (n = 1) have minimal function mutation and patients with a residual function mutation: R334W (n = 3) and P5L (n = 1) have a less severe phenotype. All these patients, because they also carry F508del mutation, are elegible to triple therapy. Conclusions: Genetic and molecular characterization of PwCF poses an important step not just for CF diagnosis and prognosis which is tightly correlated with the clinical phenotype, but also for the eligibility of CFTR modulator drugs.

Coarctation of The Aorta: A Case-Series from a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract Background: Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital segmental narrowing of the aortic arch with severe hemodynamic repercussions and increased cardiovascular mortality. Early surgical correction and life-time echocardiographic follow-up must be performed to improve prognosis. However, this goal has been challenged by high rates of underdiagnosis, which delay surgical correction, and by recoarctation in up to one third of operated patients. Objectives: The objectives of this study were: (i) to register the frequency of common clinical signs at diagnosis of coarctation of the aorta; (ii) to describe the course of echocardiographic parameters before and during the follow-up of coartectomized subjects; (iii) to analyze the clinical prognosis of patients according to baseline characteristics, occurrence of recoarctation and associated malformations. Methods: Case-series of 72 patients coarctectomized between June 1996 and November 2016 in a tertiary care hospital. Clinical, echocardiographic and surgical variables were considered. All patients were submitted to coarctectomy by posterolateral thoracotomy and end-to-end anastomosis. Data were classified as parametric or non-parametric by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Parametric data were expressed as mean and standard deviation, and non-parametric data as median and interquartile range. Continuous variables were analyzed using paired t-tests, and categorical variables were compared by chi-square test. For all analysis, a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, version 20.0 (IBM, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The mean follow-up time was 5.8 years (range: 0-20 years). At diagnosis, most patients had heart murmur (88%), non-palpable pulse in the lower limbs (50%), left ventricular hypertrophy (78%), and bicuspid aortic valve (33%), with a mean aortic peak gradient of 55 mmHg. After surgical correction, those without recoarctation were less symptomatic (60 vs 4.5%; p < 0.001), had lower aortic peak gradient (54 ± 3.8 vs 13 ± 0.8; p = 0.01) and left ventricle mass (95 ± 9.2 vs. 63 ± 11; p = 0.01), and the most common complications were late hypertension (39.2%), and recoarctation (27.6%). Recoarcted patients did not show improvement of neither clinical nor echocardiographic variables. Age at repair and bicuspid aortic valve groups had comparable results with controls. Surgical procedure was safe; mean time of hospitalization was 10 days and mean surgery time 2.3 hours. Conclusions: Coarctectomy improves cardiac symptoms and left ventricular hypertrophy, with a slight effect on the incidence of hypertension. Recoarctation occurs in one-third of patients and draws attention for the need of lifelong surveillance by echocardiography.

Severe iron-deficiency anemia as initial manifestation of pulmonary hemosiderosis in a child / Anemia ferropriva grave como manifestaçao inicial de hemossiderose pulmonar em criança

ABSTRACT Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis is a potentially fatal disease that results from episodes of alveolar hemorrhage of unknown origin. The clinical spectrum is varied, and anemia may constitute the only manifestation of illness, preceding other signs and symptoms by several months. We present the case of a 4 year-old child presenting with fever, vomiting and prostration, associated with pallor. He had microcytic and hypochromic anemia refractory to iron therapy. Gastrointestinal bleeding was ruled out after negative extensive etiological investigation. Subsequently, pulmonary infiltrates suggestive of alveolar hemorrhage were observed in the chest radiography. The cytological exam of the bronchoalveolar lavage showed hemosiderin-laden macrophages. After the etiological study, the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis was made by exclusion. He was initiated on corticosteroid therapy, later associated to an immunosuppressive agent, with subsequent correction of anemia and of the radiological pattern. The patient is currently asymptomatic.

RESUMO A hemossiderose pulmonar idiopática é uma doença potencialmente fatal que cursa com episódios de hemorragia alveolar de etiologia desconhecida. As manifestações clínicas são variadas, e a anemia pode constituir o único sinal de doença, precedendo em vários meses os outros sinais e sintomas. Apresenta-se o caso de criança de 4 anos, com febre, vômitos e prostração, associados à palidez. Apresentava anemia microcítica e hipocrômica, refratária à terapêutica com ferro. A hipótese diagnóstica de sangramento gastrintestinal foi excluída, após investigação etiológica extensa, inconclusiva. Posteriormente, em radiografia torácica, foram observados infiltrados sugestivos de hemorragia alveolar. O exame citológico do lavado broncoalveolar mostrou macrófagos com depósitos de hemossiderina. Após estudo etiológico, assumiu-se, por exclusão, o diagnóstico de hemossiderose pulmonar idiopática. Foi iniciada terapêutica com corticoides, associada posteriormente a imunossupressor, com correção subsequente da anemia e do padrão radiológico, encontrando-se, atualmente, assintomático.