2009 Southern Regional Meeting Abstracts

Purpose of Study: Cystic fibrosis is the most common life-threatening autosomal recessive disease of Caucasians, with the incidence of 1 in 3000 births in the United States. Cystic fibrosis patients are now living longer due to the improvement in pulmonary and nutritional care. The longer life expectancy has led to an increase in the prevalence of comorbid conditions such as cystic fibrosis-related diabetes. Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes shares features of both Type I DM and Type II DM, and therefore requires a unique approach to management. Screening and diagnosing cystic fibrosis-related diabetes has been previously proposed but is not routinely seen in practice. Treating cystic fibrosis-related diabetes usually requires insulin therapy, but recent research has focused on utilizing oral agents. This article reviews the literature in regards to screening, diagnosing, and treating cystic fibrosis-related diabetes in the inpatient population.
Methods Used: The review included, but was not limitied to, searching Cochrane, Pubmed, and Ovid databases.
Summary of Results: Screening for cystic fibrosis-related diabetes should be performed on all cystic fibrosis patients 14 years of age or older when hospitalized. Diagnosing cystic fibrosis-related diabetes should be conducted using current ADA guidelines for diagnosing diabetes mellitus proposed at the 1998 North American CFRD Consensus Committee. The treatment of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes should involve insulin therapy. A physician must take into account the diet of the cystic fibrosis patient, such as nighttime G-tube feeds, when deciding between short-acting vs. long-acting insulin therapy. A multicenter randomized control trial of insulin therapy vs. oral agents needs to be conducted to determine the efficacy of oral agents.
Conclusions: Reviewing the literature in regards to screening, diagnosing, and treating cystic fibrosis-related diabetes in the inpatient population will promote the development of a future nationwide inpatient protocol.