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.