Ibuprofen Preserves Lung Function in Kids With CysticFibrosis

Ibuprofen Preserves Lung Function in Kids With CysticFibrosis
FRIDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- The common pain reliever andanti-inflammatory ibuprofen significantly slows the decline in lungfunction seen in children with cystic fibrosis, U.S. researchersreport.
A team at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, inCleveland, found that children with cystic fibrosis who took high doses ofibuprofen twice a day had a 29 percent reduction in loss of lung functioncompared with children who did not take the drug.
"In cystic fibrosis the lungs are destroyed by chronic infection andinflammation. One of the treatments for that would be anti-inflammatorytherapy," explained lead researcher Dr. Michael W. Konstan, director ofthe Cystic Fibrosis Center at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.
One expert agreed that ibuprofen should be more widely used in treatingthe illness.
"This study confirms the benefit of ibuprofen in children with cysticfibrosis," said Dr. Bruce Marshall, vice president of clinical affairs atthe Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
In fact, the foundation currently recommends ibuprofen therapy. "Thispaper is in alignment with Cystic Fibrosis Pulmonary Guideline Committeerecommendations," Marshall said.
CF is a genetic disease that affects the lungs and other organs. It'scharacterized by thick, sticky mucus that makes it almost impossible forCF patients to fight off germs and infections. The disease is alwaysfatal, and lung disease accounts for 85 percent of deaths among CFpatients. However, advances in treatment in the last 60 years haveincreased life expectancy from just a few years to about 36 years.
A decade ago, Konstan had shown that daily use of ibuprofen could slowthe progression of the disease. "Our hope was that that would translateinto increased years of survival," he said.
Since that time ibuprofen therapy has not been used very much, Konstannoted. "Only about 5 percent of patients who are eligible for this therapyare actually treated with ibuprofen," he said.
Part of the reluctance to use ibuprofen is the fear on the part ofdoctors of increased gastrointestinal bleeding, a common side effect withibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory drugs, Konstan explained.
But he added that this problem "happens in about one in 500 treatedpatients. That's an awfully small risk considering the strongbenefit."
In the new study, which appears in the December issue of AmericanJournal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Konstan's team wasable to show that the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding was small whilethe benefit was significant.
Konstan's group looked at 1,365 children who took ibuprofen and 8,960who did not. Patients ranged from 6 to 17 years of age. Doses ranged from20 milligrams to 30 milligrams per kilogram of the patient's weight. Somepatients took up to 1,600 milligrams per dose -- typical, over-the-counterdoses of ibuprofen recommend a maximum dose of 1,200 milligrams for peopleover 12 years of age.
The researchers found that for patients taking ibuprofen, theprogression of the disease was cut by almost one-third compared with thosenot taking the drug. Moreover, gastrointestinal bleeding was rare, with anincidence of 0.37 percent in children taking ibuprofen, compared with 0.14percent in those not taking the drug.
"Based on these findings, we should reconsider the use of ibuprofen asa treatment option," Konstan said. Whether ibuprofen actually increasessurvival isn't known, but based on the slowing of the disease, Konstanthinks that it probably does.
The researcher noted that his team has been looking for ananti-inflammatory alternative to ibuprofen for 10 years, but they have yetto find one that is as effective and safe as the common drug. "We continueto search for alternatives to ibuprofen," Konstan said.
More information
For more information on cystic fibrosis, visit the Cystic FibrosisFoundation.