Alteración de la tolerancia glucídica en la fibrosis quística: ¿debería detectarse antes?

Background. Carbohydrate metabolism (CM) alterations in cystic fibrosis (CF) show up gradually and have been associated with clinical impairment. They are considered a late manifestation, so its follow-up is usually done since the second decade in life. Objective. The aims of our study were to assess carbohydrate metabolism (CM) on paediatric CF population and to detect how early established was its impairment, and if it's correlated to clinical deterioration. Material and methods. 17 patients less than 16 years old with CF were studied. A nutritional and respiratory assessment was made. CM was studied through an oral glucose tolerance test and patients were classified according to current criteria, comparing clinical situation among different groups. Results. Mean age was 9,3 ± 4,2 year old. Six patients (35,3%) showed glucose tolerance impairment, with 4 under 10 years. No diabetes mellitus (DM) was found in any of them. No significant differences were found in clinical situation among patients with normal or abnormal glucose tolerance. Conclusions. Glucidic alterations may appear in CF patients under 10, therefore CM should be studied before this age to detect its impairment and apply the appropriate follow-up. Among pediatric population abnormal glucose tolerance without DM seems not related to clinical deterioration.