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THURSDAY, April 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), cytomegalovirus (CMV) is associated with faster disease progression, according to a research letter published online April 7 in the European Respiratory Journal<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Michael D. Parkins, M.D., from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and colleagues performed a single-center retrospective study involving all 71 individuals with CF referred for lung transplantation from a CF center between 1991 and 2017. The authors examined the correlation between CMV serostatus and patient pretransplant outcomes.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that CMV immunoglobulin G positivity was correlated with disproportionate progression to end-stage lung disease as defined by death or transplantation (27.2 versus 35.1 years; difference, 7.95); after adjustment for confounding variables, this difference remained significant (difference, 6.96 years).<\/p>\n
“The association we found does not necessarily mean that cytomegalovirus directly causes more rapid disease progression — further studies are needed before such a bold statement could be made,” Parkins said in a statement. “However, our findings provide the first indication that this virus may have an impact on progression of cystic fibrosis, potentially leading to earlier transplant referral and even death.”<\/p>\n
Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry; one author disclosed ties to Alberta Innovates.<\/p>\n
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