Impact of COVID-19 infection on lung function and nutritional status amongst individuals with cystic fibrosis: A global cohort study.

• Over 7000 cases of COVID-19 in CF were reported from 47 countries between January 2020 and December 2021. • Increases in infection rates aligned with emergence of COVID-19 variants. • There was no clinically meaningful change in lung function or BMI trajectory following infection. Factors associated with severe COVID-19 infection have been identified; however, the impact of infection on longer-term outcomes is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 infection on the trajectory of lung function and nutritional status in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). This is a retrospective global cohort study of pwCF who had confirmed COVID-19 infection diagnosed between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021. Forced expiratory volume in one second percent predicted (ppFEV 1) and body mass index (BMI) twelve months prior to and following a diagnosis of COVID-19 were recorded. Change in mean ppFEV 1 and BMI were compared using a t -test. A linear mixed-effects model was used to estimate change over time and to compare the rate of change before and after infection. A total of 6,500 cases of COVID-19 in pwCF from 33 countries were included for analysis. The mean difference in ppFEV 1 pre- and post-infection was 1.4 %, (95 % CI 1.1, 1.7). In those not on modulators, the difference in rate of change pre- and post-infection was 1.34 %, (95 % CI -0.88, 3.56) per year (p = 0.24) and -0.74 % (-1.89, 0.41) per year (p = 0.21) for those on elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor. No clinically significant change was noted in BMI or BMI percentile before and after COVID-19 infection. No clinically meaningful impact on lung function and BMI trajectory in the year following infection with COVID-19 was identified. This work highlights the ability of the global CF community to unify and address critical issues facing pwCF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]