Clinical, Paraclinical, and Microbiological Trajectories of Hospitalized Patients with Cystic Fibrosis across Successive Admissions

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a chronic multisystem disease characterized by recurrent pulmonary exacerbations necessitating hospitalization. Although repeated admissions are commonly linked to disease progression, limited data exist on longitudinal changes across such hospitalizations. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical, paraclinical, radiologic, functional, and microbiological characteristics of CF patients during multiple hospitalizations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a descriptive–analytical study involving 101 CF patients hospitalized from 2020 to 2024. Key evaluations included clinical features, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), 6-min walk test (6MWT), radiologic findings, and airway microbiology across up to four admissions. Statistical comparisons were made using Chi-square tests and one-way analysis of variance, with significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 18 ± 7 years, with 43.6% having four or more hospitalizations. Mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s (% predicted) remained stable throughout admissions (54.7 ± 23.7%, 51.0 ± 21.3%, 46.7 ± 20.6%, and 48.2 ± 23.4%; P = 0.55). The restrictive pattern was the most common PFT abnormality (57.5%–66.7%; P > 0.05). The 6MWT distance displayed no significant change (395.6 ± 97.8 m to 386.9 ± 76.3 m; P = 0.74), but abnormal results were frequent (80.0%–91.6%). Bronchiectasis was seen in 87.1% of patients. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were prevalent pathogens (49.5%–64.1% and 40.9%–48.5%). Notably, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii significantly increased across admissions ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: Despite repeated hospitalizations, key clinical and functional parameters remained stable, suggesting that appropriate inpatient management may mitigate short-term functional deterioration in CF patients.