Effects of Mycophenolate Mofetil in Cystic Fibrosis Lung Transplant Patients
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
0000-00-00
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Lung transplantation is a life saving procedure for patients with a terminal lung disease
such as cystic fibrosis. Approximately, one in 3,500 children in the United States are born
with cystic fibrosis each year with the predicted survival reaching 36.9 years in 2006.
Cystic fibrosis was the third lead indication for lung transplantation in 2006. Cystic
fibrosis is a genetic disease that can affect the way the body can remove salt from various
organs. It results in mucus blocking the ducts of the lungs and pancreas leading to
inability to handle oxygen and malabsorption of nutrients. Malabsorption is a common
complication of cystic fibrosis that can affect the way the anti-rejection medications are
absorbed. One medication that is utilized after transplant to prevent rejection is
mycophenolate mofetil. This medication may not be absorbed adequately in this population due
to their disease thus placing these patients at increased risk of rejection. At the
investigators' institution, all transplant patients are initiated at the same mycophenolate
dose regardless of their underlying disease. The limited available literature regarding
cystic fibrosis transplant patients and mycophenolate suggests that these patients require
higher doses due to their erratic absorption. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the
effects of mycophenolate mofetil on the body in lung transplant patients who have cystic
fibrosis in efforts to improve survival outcomes.