A formalized transition program in cystic fibrosis: a ten-year
retrospective experience of 97 patients in Lyon.
Abstract
Introduction: The prognosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) has dramatically
changed over the past decade in France, mostly due to global
improvements in specific care. Currently, the majority of French CF
patients are adults, meaning they went through a transition process from
a pediatric CF center to an adult CF center. To determine the impact of
that transfer on clinical evolution, we report the transition procedure
of our CF center in Lyon. Materials and Methods: From January 2006 to
December 2016, 117 CF patients went through a standardized transition
process from the pediatric to the adult CF center of Lyon. We compared
the clinical evolution of the patients over 3 periods starting the year
before transfer and ending the next year after transfer. Clinical data
taken into account were FEV1%, BMI, pulmonary colonization, number of
antibiotic courses, and number of days of hospitalization per year and
outpatient visits per year. Results: No significant differences were
observed between respiratory and nutritional status, pulmonary
colonization, number of antibiotic courses, and numbers of
hospitalizations and visits when comparing the 3 periods of observation
(the year before, the year after and the next year after transfer)
around transition. Conclusion: The standardized procedure of transition
in Lyon is associated with the maintenance of a stable clinical status
of our CF patients.