Air pollution has adverse effects on people with cystic fibrosis, according to a study by researchers at the UW.

Researchers found a relationship between the amount of fine airborne soot particles and the number of cystic fibrosis-related lung infections requiring special medical care. Airborne soot can be produced by such sources as power plants and motor vehicles.

Previous research found that long-term exposure to fine particle air pollution increases mortality from cardiovascular problems in the general population. This is the first study examining the effects of such pollution on patients with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes a thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and blocks the pancreas.

Researchers used a combination of data from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation national patient registry and air pollution monitoring data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local air pollution control agencies. They matched 11,484 patients around the country with corresponding local air pollution levels.

The study found that higher average levels of particle and ozone air pollution were related to more serious episodes of cystic fibrosis lung infections, some requiring treatment such as IV antibiotics. Higher pollution levels also worsened lung function in the patients, researchers found.

Christopher Goss, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and medical director of the CF Foundation's Therapeutics Development Network, was one author of the study. The results appear in the April 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.