Body composition in patients with cystic fibrosis, its impact on morbidity and survival rates, and its changes during targeted therapy

Recent research findings indicate that assessment of the nutritional status of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) should account for not only BMI but also body composition. Estimating fat and lean mass is equally important because these characteristics are associated with respiratory function indicators stronger than traditional anthropometric parameters. A low or normal BMI may mask high fat mass or low lean (muscle) mass. Researchers report a positive effect of targeted therapy on BMI, but the impact on body composition has not been adequately studied.

The aim of this paper was to review the results of studies assessing body composition in patients with cystic fibrosis. The review presents data on methods for assessing body composition, the advantages of body composition assessment over traditional anthropometric measurements, body composition characteristics in patients with cystic fibrosis, the impact of body components, in particular fat and lean mass, on respiratory function, changes in body composition during targeted therapy, and the emergence of cardiometabolic risks.

Methods. We selected publications in the PubMed database using the following keywords: “body composition in patients with cystic fibrosis” and “body composition in patients with cystic fibrosis during targeted therapy”.

Conclusion. Body composition assessment can be an important tool for monitoring patient’s nutritional status, assessing effectiveness of targeted therapy, and guiding dietary modifications and selection of therapeutic nutritional supplements for patients with cystic fibrosis.

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