Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Cystic Fibrosis Earns a New Bacterial Foe | |
|
| |
 |  |  | Comments |  |
 patients would now get easier as researchers have found that exacerbations in CF are linked to chronic infection with a bacterium){kind=small} |  |
 |
 |
 |  |
 |
 Text  |
Measuring the health status of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients would now get easier as researchers have found that exacerbations in CF are linked to chronic infection with a bacterium called Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.
The finding that chronic infection with S. maltophilia is independently linked with an increased risk of exacerbations gives clinicians and researchers a new potential target in fighting their disease as well.
"Our study showed that chronic infection with S. maltophilia, which was previously not regarded as prognostically significant, may have a real impact on the progression of CF in patients," said Valerie Waters of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
To assess whether S. maltophilia represented a true infection, rather than merely a colonizing organism, and whether it had an impact on the progression of disease, Waters and colleagues performed a two-stage study.
In the first stage, they sought to determine if S. maltophilia generated an immune response in CF patients.
In the second stage, they retrospectively followed almost 700 CF patients for 12 years to determine whether chronic infection with S. maltophilia was independently associated with an increased risk of exacerbation or lowered lung function.
They found that antibody levels to S. maltophilia flagellin, were about two times higher in chronically infected patients compared to those who were never infected, indicating a specific immune response and a true infection, rather than mere colonization.
The increased antibody levels were also associated with lower lung function, as measured by FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second.)
Furthermore, they found that patients with chronic S. maltophilia infections had a 63 percent greater risk of exacerbations than those who had never been infected, although there were no significant differences detected in the rate of lung function decline.
"It is crucial that we look to determine whether chronic S. maltophilia infection directly results in the worsening of lung function.
"We plan to investigate the effects of chronic S. maltophilia during pulmonary exacerbations in future studies," said Waters.
The findings were published online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Source-ANI
| |
|
|
 Comment & Contribute
|
Related Links
Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease involving the mucus and sweat glands and the medical world has still to find its ...
How Cystic Fibrosis Causes Lung Disease
An advance in scientists' understanding of how cystic fibrosis (CF) causes lung disease in people with the condition has been made in a new ...
Infliximab may Help Treat Cystic Fibrosis and Crohn's Disease
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-threatening autosomal recessive disease in Caucasian children; it has an incidence of 1 case in every ...
For Some Patients With Cystic Fibrosis, Home Care Equivalent to Hospital Care
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University say that patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) recover from exacerbations equally well if they are treated at ...
Research Related News
Parasite Study Shows Treating Infection may Have Sting in the Tail
A study in wild animals has shown that using drugs to treat an infection could allow other co-existing conditions to flourish. ...
Missing Enzyme Linked to Drug Addiction: Study
According to an animal study, a missing brain enzyme increases concentrations of a protein related to pain-killer addiction. The results will be ...
Study Finds That Obesity Leads to Brain Inflammation
A new study in mice finds that low testosterone worsens the harmful effects of obesity in the nervous system. The results will be presented Monday at ...
Study Finds Chemical in Antibacterial Soap Fed to Nursing Rats Harms Offspring
A new study in rats finds that a mother's exposure to triclocarban, a common antibacterial chemical, while nursing her babies shortens the life of ...
Doctors Able To Remove Suspicious Polyps, Keep Colon Intact With the Help Of New Alternative to Surgery
Millions of people each year have polyps successfully removed during colonoscopies. But when a suspicious polyp is bigger than a marble or in a ...
Patients With Central Nervous System Infections may Suffer More
In Vietnam and other locations, patients with central nervous system infections may well be suffering from the effects of a newly discovered virus. ...
Medwonders Health Network
- Health News Index
|
|
- News Quick Links
| News Categories: |
| » | You Need Insurance Answers Some States Help by Making It Simpler |
| » | Healthcare Cuts in Spain Poses Serious Risk to the Health of Its Citizens |
| » | Study Shows Irregular Heartbeat Risk in Endurance Skiers |
| » | Schools in Indiana Have to Decide Between Insurance for Part Timers or Reduce Working Hours |
| » | Brokers for Health Insurance Companies Draw Back from State Set Rates |
| More Insurance News | |
|
Ask an Expert
