06 Aug Pathbreaking cystic fibrosis research initiated in Wisconsin 40 years ago changed the course of diagnosis and treatment of children around the world
When Philip Farrell, MD, PhD, now emeritus dean and professor, Division of Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, first assembled a research team to develop and conduct the first randomized clinical trial (RCT) testing the possible benefit of early diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) in the early 1980s, the prognosis for children with the disease was poor. There was no accepted early diagnostic method and no effective treatment.
Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary condition, occurring in approximately one in 4,000 births. It causes normally slippery fluids in lungs and digestive system organs to become thick and sticky, resulting in lung and digestive impairment, risk of severe lung infections, malnutrition, and death. Before Farrell’s research project, children with CF were usually diagnosed between one and five years of age, already suffering from lung disease, diminished growth, and frequently severe, potentially fatal, malnutrition. The median survival was 27 years. Read more…