Chair: Dr Andrea Gramegna (Milano, Italy) Dr Pilar Azevedo Cardim (Lisbon, Portugal)

Speaker: Dr Freddy Frost (Liverpool, United Kingdom)

Discussants: Dr Clémence Martin (Paris, France), Dr Letizia Traversi (Cittiglio, Italy)

The Journal Club series is the latest addition to the wide variety of education-focused webinars on offer by ERS, including panel discussion and expert interview formats. Discover upcoming webinars.

Fees: Free for ERS members / €10 for non-members
Find out more about becoming a member

Overview

Advances in cystic fibrosis (CF) care have extended patient life expectancy, but this success has revealed new clinical challenges. Cardiovascular disease is increasingly recognized as an important comorbidity in CF, yet robust data on its prevalence, risk factors and outcomes remain limited. There is no established consensus on optimal screening strategies, and awareness of this issue among clinicians is variable.

This webinar addresses a critical knowledge gap by presenting and discussing new epidemiological data from a large observational cohort, offering clinicians evidence to guide earlier detection and better management of cardiac disease in CF.

Study: Prevalence, risk factors and outcomes of cardiac disease in cystic fibrosis
Author & Speaker: Dr Freddy Frost
Journal: European Respiratory Journal (2023, Early View)
Summary: This landmark observational cohort analysis provides the most comprehensive evidence to date on the burden of cardiac disease in cystic fibrosis. It quantifies prevalence, identifies key risk factors, and examines clinical outcomes including hospitalisation and mortality. Despite being published in 2023, the study continues to represent a unique and timely contribution, filling a major gap in CF care by highlighting cardiovascular comorbidity as an urgent clinical and research priority. Read article

Why attend?

Participants will:

• Gain an up-to-date understanding of the cardiovascular burden in CF.
• Learn how to identify high-risk patients using evidence-based risk factors.
• Hear expert critique of study design and methodology.
• Explore practical implications for screening, multidisciplinary management and research priorities.
• Engage in interactive discussion with experts and peers.

Topics:

• Epidemiology: prevalence and demographic correlations
• Risk factors: diabetes, CFTR modulator use, systemic inflammation, genotype
• Outcomes: mortality, hospitalisation rates, quality of life impact
• Methodology: study design, cohort selection, data sources, strengths and limitations
• Clinical implications: screening recommendations, integration into multidisciplinary CF care
• Research outlook: gaps and future directions

Format

One-hour webinar structured as follows:

• Opening and welcome (5 min) - Introduction by Chairs
• Speaker presentation (15 min) - Freddy Frost presents study findings
• Discussant perspectives (20 min) - Methodological and clinical commentaries
• Interactive Q&A (15 min) - Audience engagement moderated by Chairs
• Wrap-up and take-home messages (5 min) - Summary of key points and conclusions

Learning outcomes

Following this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the prevalence and risk factors for cardiac disease in CF.
• Recognise its prognostic significance and clinical impact.
• Critically appraise the methodology of large observational studies in rare diseases.
• Apply evidence-based strategies for cardiac risk assessment in CF care.

CME credit

An application for accreditation of this webinar has been made to the European Board for Accreditation in Pneumology (EBAP) for 1 CME credit per 1-hour attendance. If accredited, the CME credit will be granted upon attendance of at least 60 minutes during the live webinar only.

What is a webinar?

A webinar closely simulates a lecture-based teaching experience. The speaker can interact with the audience, just as in a classroom setting. During the webinar, you will be asked to share your opinion on issues related to the topic using interactive polls.

All participants will be able to hear the lecturer and see the slides throughout the presentation. As a participant you will be able to pose questions or discuss ideas with the other participants via the text chat facility and the speaker will respond to the questions via the microphone.

Login guidelines

More information will be communicated in due course.

• Please log in to the webinar 20 minutes before it is scheduled to commence. If you have any technical difficulties whilst trying to log in or during the session please contact e-learning@ersnet.org.
• Check Central European Summer Time.
• To achieve the best quality, we recommend to avoid downloading anything from the internet during your connection to the lecture and stopping all other programmes.
• Please also ensure that your audio settings are not set to mute and adjust the volume to a comfortable level.