Early acquisition and conversion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Hispanic youth with cystic fibrosis in the United States

BackgroundFor unknown reasons, Hispanic patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have more severe pulmonary disease than non-Hispanic white patients. In CF, the pulmonary pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is associated with worse outcomes. We sought to determine if Hispanic patients with CF are at an increased risk of acquiring P. aeruginosa or acquire it earlier than non-Hispanic white patients.MethodsThis is a longitudinal study comparing the timing and risk of acquisition of different forms of P. aeruginosa between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white patients aged 0-21 years old with CF in the CF Foundation Patient Registry (CFFPR) in 2008-2013. The age at the initial acquisition of P. aeruginosa (initial acquisition, mucoid, chronic, multidrug-resistant) was summarized using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression models.ResultsOf 10,464 patients, 788 (7.5%) were Hispanic and 9,676 (92.5%) were non-Hispanic white. Hispanic patients acquired all forms of P. aeruginosa at a younger age than non-Hispanic white patients. Hispanic patients had a higher risk of acquiring P. aeruginosa than non-Hispanic white patients: the hazard ratio (HR) was 1.26 (95% CI 1.16-1.38, p