title: Modeling cystic fibrosis disease progression in patients with the rare CFTR mutation P67L.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The progression of cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients with the rare mutation P67L was examined to determine if it induced a milder form of CF compared to the common severe ΔF508 mutation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parameters of lung function, level of bacterial infection, nutritional status and hospitalization were used to represent CF progression. Age at diagnosis and pancreatic status were used to assess CF presentation. Analysis of data from the CF Canada Registry collected over a 15-year period included 266 ΔF508/ΔF508 homozygote patients from CF clinics in Atlantic Canada and 26 compound heterozygote patients with the rare P67L mutation from clinics across Canada.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Late age at diagnosis, high incidence of pancreatic sufficiency, maintained Body Mass Index (BMI) with age, delayed life-threatening bacterial infection, and fewer days in hospital were observed for P67L heterozygote patients included in this study. Although the decline of lung function did not differ from ΔF508 homozygotes, the fact that a greater proportion of P67L heterozygotes live to an older age suggests that lung function is not the primary factor determining CF progression for P67L heterozygote patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The P67L mutation is associated with a mild disease, even when combined with the severe ΔF508 mutation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Isobel E R
authors.initials: IER
authors.lastname: MacKenzie
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paquette
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gosse
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Sheenagh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: George
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chappe
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Electronic address: valerie.chappe@dal.ca.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chappe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / Q000235:genetics*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012042:Registries; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000379:methods; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: C505032:CFTR protein, human; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator
keywords: Cystic fibrosis; Data Registry; Disease progression; Mild CF; P67L; Rare mutations