Background: During Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Lombardia, people were recommended to avoid visiting emergency departments and attending routine clinic visits. In this context, it was necessary to understand the psychological reactions of patients with chronic diseases. We evaluated the psychological effects on patients with chronic respiratory conditions and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)through the analysis of their spontaneous contacts with their referral centres.Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted from February 23 to April 27, 2020 in patients, or their parents, who contacted their multidisciplinary teams (MDT). E-mails and phone calls directed to the MDT of the centre for cystic fibrosis (CF) in Milano and for paediatric IBD in Bergamo, were categorised according to their contents as information on routine disease management, updates on the patient's health status, COVID-19 news monitoring, empathy towards health professionals, positive feedback and concern of contagion during the emergency. How to cite this article: Nobili RM, Gambazza S, Spada MS, et al. Remote support by multidisciplinary teams: A crucial means to cope with the psychological impact of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic on patients with cystic fibrosis and inflammatory bowel disease in Lombardia. Int J Clin Pract.

BackgroundAn exercise test combined with a multiple breath washout nitrogen test (MBWN2) may offer a comprehensive clinical evaluation of cystic fibrosis (CF) disease in children with normal spirometry. The purpose of the present study is to explore whether information derived from spirometry, MBWN2, and exercise tests can help the CF multidisciplinary team to characterize time free from hospitalization due to pulmonary exacerbation (PE) in a cohort of pediatric patients with CF.MethodsThis prospective observational study was carried out at the Lombardia Region Reference Center for Cystic Fibrosis in Milano, Italy. In 2015, we consecutively enrolled children and adolescents aged <18 years with spirometry, MBWN2, and Godfrey exercise test performed during an outpatient visit.ResultsOver a median follow-up time of 2.2 years (interquartile range [IQR], 2.01; 3.18), 28 patients aged between 13.0 and 17.4 years were included. When lung functions were outside the normal range, 50% of patients were hospitalized 4 months after the outpatient visit, and their response to exercise was abnormal (100%). Half of the individuals with normal forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and abnormal lung clearance index (LCI) experienced the first hospital admission 9 months after the clinic visit, and 84.2% presented an abnormal response to exercise. Conversely, 15.8% had abnormal exercise responses when lung functions were considered normal, with half of the adolescents hospitalized at 11 months.ConclusionMaintaining ventilation homogeneity, along with a normal ability to sustain intense work, may have a positive impact on the burden of CF disease, here conceived as time free from hospitalization due to PE.

No abstract

No abstract

Background: Individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) are deemed to have a higher risk of developing urinary incontinence (UI), likely due to repeated increasing pressure on the pelvic floor. We aimed to determine the prevalence of female UI in a large CF referral center, and to assess the association between UI and severity of CF disease.Methods: We consecutively recruited female patients regularly attending our CF center, aged ≥6 years and with a confirmed diagnosis of CF. Prevalence, severity, and impact of UI were assessed by administering two validated questionnaires.