Subjects and Methods
Subjects:
This study was conducted in order to provide a retrospective analysis of clinical data obtained from a group of PCD pediatric patients who were diagnosed in the Department of Respiratory Medicine in Beijing Children’s Hospital between January 2009 and December 2020. PCD patients enrolled in this study had received definitive PCD diagnoses and consented to receive follow-up care. The study was approved by the Beijing Children’s Hospital Ethics Committee. Verbal and written consent was obtained from all parents and patients older than 8 years of age enrollment in the study.
Data Collection:
Collection of disease-specific clinical data was collected using a pre-designed form. Baseline clinical data that were collected included demographic information: name, sex, date of birth, age at diagnosis, height at diagnosis, weight at diagnosis, medical history, diagnostic information, lung function, and chest imaging results, history of hospitalizations and drug treatments, antibiotics used to treat acute infections (dosage, treatment duration), prophylactic antibiotics (antibiotic drugs, dosage, start date), other prescribed medications (e.g., mucolytic agents, corticosteroids), and surgeries. Follow-up data that were collected included the annual frequency of respiratory infection-associated exacerbations, lung function test results, chest computed tomography (CT) imaging findings, growth measurements, days off from school due to PCD, sports endurance, etc. Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed and assessed.
Clinical data of patients were compared according to AZM treatment duration. Patients treated regularly with AZM at a dose of 10 mg/kg administered 3 times per week for longer than 3 months were assigned to the AZM-treated group, while those who did not take AZM or less than 3 months were assigned to AZM-untreated group. Clinical changes, frequency of respiratory tract infections, changes in height and weight, lung function changes, and changes in chest imaging findings were compared between the two groups.
Statistics:
Statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL). Continuous data were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation or median. The normality of each variable distribution was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Comparisons of quantitative data between AZM-treated and AZM-untreated groups were conducted using the T-test or Mann-Whitney U test, while X2 or Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare proportions. Statistical tests were two‐sided and were deemed statistically significant for P < 0.05.