Nutritional aspects and quality of life in patients with cystic fibrosis

Abstract

Objective: To describe food frequency and quality of life (QoL) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods: Analytical and cross-sectional study with 19 patients with CF. The Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R) and a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) were used. Results: The sample (13 women, 6 men) had a mean age of 29.9 years and 57.9% of eutrophy by BMI. The lowest QoL scores were physical (52.9) and health (54.9). Underweight patients presented lower scores, especially in the respiratory domain. Daily consumption of meats (91.7%) and dairy products (83.3%) was high, contrasting with the low intake of ultra-processed foods (soft drinks 0%). Conclusion: A duality was observed: high respiratory and digestive scores, reflecting the use of modulators, contrast with worse physical, emotional, and health domains, associated with age at diagnosis. Nutritional status proved adequate, however low physical scores indicate that this metric alone does not reflect functionality. It is concluded that CF management requires multidisciplinary support.