Background Oral glucose tolerance (OGT) deteriorates progressively in
cystic fibrosis (CF). Clinical registries provide a unique basis to study
real-world data.
Patients & methods OGT tests (OGTTs) documented in the German
CF-registry in 2016 were classified according WHO, modified by ADA: normal
glucose tolerance (NGT), indeterminate glycaemia (INDET), impaired fasting
glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), IFG+IGT, diabetes
mellitus (DM). To study the association with lung function, multivariable
regression adjusted for age, sex, and CFTR mutation was performed.
Results Overall, OGTT screening was done in 35% of CF patients
≧10 years. Of the 996 patients (46.4% females; median age (IQR):
19 (14–27) years) with evaluable OGTTs, 56.2% had either NGT or
INDET, whereas 34% had a pre-diabetic OGTT (IFG; IGT; IFG+IGT)
and 9.8% a diabetic OGTT. 7 patients had glucose tolerance abnormalities
<10 years. DM was more common in females or patients with F508del
homozygote mutation, whereas IFG was more frequent in males (all
p<0.05). Nearly 75% of patients after transplantation and about
half with enteral/parental nutrition and/or steroid use had
either a pre-diabetic or diabetic glucose tolerance. In the adjusted model, age
(p<0.001) and OGTT category (p=0.013) had both a significant
impact on %FEV1.
Conclusion Our data of the German CF-registry highlights incidence of
glucose tolerance abnormalities in second decade of life in CF patients.
However, it also underlines the need for improvement of the documentation
and/or performance of OGTT screening in real-world CF care.