Objectives: To examine the relationship between chronic bacterial infection and pulmonary hypertension, using Doppler echocardiography, in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).
Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study involving CF patients (>16 years of age) admitted to a program for adults with the disease. The study included 40 patients with a mean age of 23.7 +/- 6.3 years. Patients were submitted to clinical evaluation, Doppler echocardiography, pulmonary function tests, chest X-rays and sputum cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia.
Results: In terms of the following variables, no significant differences were found between P. aeruginosa-positive patients and P. aeruginosa-negative patients: clinical score (p = 0.472); forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1; p = 0.693), radiological score (p = 0.760); tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity (TRV, p = 0.330); diameter of the right ventricle (DRV, p = 0.191); and right ventricular/pulmonary artery (RV/PA) systolic acceleration time (SAT, p = 0.330). B. cepacia-positive patients presented significantly lower FEV1 than did B. cepacia-negative patients (p = 0.011). No significant differences were found between B. cepacia-positive patients and B. cepacia-negative patients regarding the following variables: clinical score (p = 0.080); radiological score (p = 0.760); TRV (p = 0.613); DRV (p = 0.429); and RV/PA SAT (p = 0.149).
Conclusions: Chronic infection with P. aeruginosa or B. cepacia presented no association with pulmonary hypertension in adult CF patients. Pulmonary function was worse in B. cepacia-positive patients than in P. aeruginosa-positive patients.