Key result
Cystic fibrosis in youth is linked to ~36% higher malondialdehyde levels and blunted autonomic tone.
Why the study?
The interplay among oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and autonomic imbalance in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis remains unclear.
Case-Control (n=24)
No
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis exhibit increased oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, and reduced cardiac autonomic activity compared to healthy controls.
Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease in which oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and autonomic imbalance drive the pathophysiology; however, their interplay in children and adolescents with CF remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the cardiometabolic profile of children and adolescents with CF and healthy controls, and to investigate associations between heart rate variability (HRV), Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV 1 ), oxidative stress, and inflammation. Methods This cross‐sectional study included 12 patients with CF and 12 healthy controls (5–18 years). Were analyzed for oxidative stress markers (total antioxidant capacity‐CAOx, malondialdehyde‐MDA), and inflammatory (hs‐CRP, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐10, IL‐17A, IFN‐γ, and TNF‐α). HRV was assessed using a Bluetooth heart rate monitor. Results Mean age was similar between groups (CF: 11.7 ± 4.5 years vs. CONT: 12.5 ± 4.2 years, p = 0.68). Mean FEV 1 in the CF group was 78.7%. CF group, MDA was significantly elevated (CF: 3.8 ± 1.4 μM vs. CONT: 2.8 ± 0.3 μM, p = 0.03), while CAOx was lower (CF: 33.0% ± 4.3% vs. CONT: 45.3% ± 13.6%, p = 0.01); CRP (CF: 4.6 ± 5.67 mg/L vs. CONT: 0.6 ± 0.7 mg/L, p = 0.03), IL‐6 (CF: 53.0 ± 47.37 pg/mL vs. CONT: 25.1 ± 43.8 pg/mL, p = 0.02), and IL‐17 (CF: 89.3 ± 53.37 pg/mL vs. CONT: 41.4 ± 42.5 pg/mL, p = 0.03) were significantly elevated; Time‐domain variables were lower: SDNN (CF: 52 ± 24 ms vs. CONT: 88 ± 31 ms, p = 0.04), RMSSD (CF: 41 ± 21 ms vs. CONT: 68 ± 34 ms, p = 0.02), pNN50 (CF: 20% ± 16.3% vs. CONT: 35% ± 19.1%, p = 0.03); in the frequency domain, only low frequency (LF) was lower (CF: 1061 ± 1335 ms 2 vs. CONT: 2979 ± 4896 ms 2 , p = 0.04). Conclusion Children and adolescents with CF exhibit increased oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, and reduced sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, as well as associations among lung function, HRV, and antioxidant capacity.
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França et al. (2026) conducted a case-control in Cystic Fibrosis (n=24). Cystic Fibrosis vs. Healthy controls was evaluated on Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration (p=0.03). Children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis demonstrated significantly higher oxidative stress, including elevated malondialdehyde levels (3.8 vs 2.8 µM, p=0.03), systemic inflammation, and reduced cardiac autonomic activity compared to healthy controls.
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