Nocturnal hypoxia and sleep disturbances in cystic fibrosis

Disrupted sleep and nocturnal hypoxia are common in cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the predictors of nocturnal hypoxia in CF are still controversial. In order to identify the risk factors for nocturnal desaturation and sleep disturbances, we carried out a clinical and polysomnographic investigation of CF patients. We studied 30 clinically stable CF cases with clinical lung disease (mean age = 12.8; mean FEV1 = 65.2), 10 CF cases without significant lung disease (mean age = 13.3; mean FEV1 = 99.8), and 20 controls (mean age = 15.5). Patients were evaluated by spirometry, 6‐min walk test, the Shwachman–Kulczycki (S–K) score, and full overnight polysomnography. Cases with clinical lung disease had lower body mass index, forced vital capacity, and S–K scores. During sleep, five CF cases with clinical lung disease (15%) had SaO2