Bone health in children with recurrent and chronic pancreatitis: A multi-center cross sectional analysis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Bone health of children with acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) is not well studied. METHODS: This retrospective study was performed at three sites and included data from INSPPIRE-2. RESULTS: Of the 87 children in the study: 46 had ARP (53%), 41 had CP (47%). Mean age was 13.6 ± 3.9 years at last DXA scan. The prevalence of low height-for-age (Z-score < -2) (13%, 10/78) and low bone mineral density (BMD) adjusted for height (Z-score < -2) (6.4%, 5/78) were higher than a healthy reference sample (2.5%, p < 0.0001 and p = 0.03, respectively). CONCLUSION: Children with ARP or CP have lower height and BMD than healthy peers. Attention to deficits in growth and bone mineral accrual in children with pancreatic disease is warranted.

Patient and Caregiver Perceptions of Airway Clearance Methods Used for Cystic Fibrosis.

Introduction: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation guidelines recommend people with CF perform daily airway clearance. This can be difficult for patients, as some find it time consuming or uncomfortable. Data comparing airway clearance methods are limited. We surveyed patients and their families to understand which methods are preferred and identify obstacles to performing airway clearance. Methods: We designed a REDCap survey and enrolled participants in 2021. Respondents reported information on airway clearance usage, time commitment, and medication use. They rated airway clearance methods for effectiveness, comfort, time commitment, importance, and compatibility with other treatments. The analysis included descriptive statistics and clustering. Results: 60 respondents started and 52 completed the survey. The median patient age was 20 years. Respondents experienced a median of four airway clearance methods in their lifetime, including chest wall oscillation (vest, 92%), manual chest physical therapy (CPT, 88%), forced expiration technique (huff or cough, 77%), and exercise (75%). Past 30-day use was highest for exercise (62%) and vest (57%). The time commitment was generally less than 2 hours daily. Of those eligible for CFTR modulators, 53% reported decreased time commitment to airway clearance after starting treatment. On a scale of 0-100, respondents rated CFTR modulators as their most important treatment (median 99.5), followed by exercise (88). Discussion. Patients and caregivers are familiar with several methods of airway clearance for CF. They report distinct strengths and limitations of each method. Exercise and vest are the most common methods of airway clearance. The use of CFTR modulators may reduce patient-reported time commitment to airway clearance.

The impact of elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor on body composition in a small cohort of youth with cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: The effects of elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor (ETI) on body composition in people with CF (pwCF) are unknown. METHODS: Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry fat-free mass and fat mass adjusted for height (FMI) as well as oral glucose tolerance test derived measures of insulin secretion and sensitivity were compared before and after ETI initiation in eight pwCF. RESULTS: Patients median age: 22 years interquartile range (IQR: 16-28), 87.5% male, median time on ETI:11 months. Weight z-score increased from -0.52 to 0.18 (p = 0.014); FMI increased from 4.12 to 6.29 (p = 0.014). Insulin secretion (C pep iAUC/Gluc iAUC) increased from 8.71 to 14.21 (p = 0.021), insulin resistance (HOMA2 IR) increased from 0.73 to 1.25 (p = 0.014) and insulin sensitivity decreased (Matsuda) 8.88 to 5.58 (p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: ETI resulted in increased weight and fat mass. BMI and muscle mass did not change. Both insulin secretion and insulin resistance increased. Longer-term metabolic consequences of ETI need further investigation.