ABSTRACT
Background: The severity of Covid-19 and its long-term effects in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) are poorly defined. Aim and objectives: To evaluate respiratory outcomes 6 months after SARS-Cov-2 infection in pwCF. Method(s): The study was based on pwCF enrolled from October 15, 2020 to June 30, 2021 in the DECO COVID-19 project, a multicentre prospective study supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (COVID-2020-12371781), that involved 3 Regional Reference Centres for CF (Milan, Rome and Verona). We enrolled pwCF tested with real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-Cov-2 on nasopharyngeal swab for suggestive symptoms of Covid19 and/or for hospital admission. After 6 months follow up, we compared changes in percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (ppFEV1) and the rate of pulmonary exacerbations between patients positive or negative for SARS-Cov-2. Result(s): We enrolled 28 pwCF with RT-PCR confirmed infection (median age: 30 years, range: 6-66) and 130 negative to RT-PCR test (median age: 24 years, range: 5-63). The median baseline ppFEV values (range) were 91 (34-114) and 79 (25-117) in those positive and negative to RT-PCR, respectively (P= 0.256). After 6 months ppFEV1 changes were not significantly different between groups (median, interquartile range: 0.8% -5.0;4.0 among positive and +2%, -5.0;6.0 among those who tested negative, P = 0.618). The rates of pulmonary exacerbations were 0.17 per person-month among patients who tested positive and 0.14 in negative pwCF (Incidence rate ratio: 1.19, 95% CI: 0.80-1.76). Conclusion(s): In our CF population, SARS-Cov-2 infection did not impact negatively on respiratory outcomes at 6 months follow up.
ABSTRACT
Since January 2020, the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically impacted the world. In March 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic reached Belgium creating uncertainty towards all aspects of life. There has been an impressive capacity and solidarity of all healthcare professionals to acutely reconvert facilities to treat these patients. In the context of liver transplantation (LTx), concerns are raised about organ donation shortage and safety, the ethics of using limited healthcare resources for LTx, selection criteria for LTx during the epidemic and the risk of de novo COVID-19 infection on the waiting list and after LTx. BeLIAC makes several recommendations to try to mitigate the deleterious effect that this epidemic has/will have on donation and LTx, taking into account the available resources, and trying to maximize patients and healthcare professionals' safety.