| Description |
Lung function provides a powerful predictor of survivorship in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the mechanism producing the decline in lung function characteristic of CF remains unknown. Three mathematical models describing different mechanisms of lung function decline are used to compute a mean survivorship value and a survivorship curve. The first model describes a constant decline in lung function, due perhaps to chronic damage. The second model describes random lung function decline due to infection. Lung function, in this model, also declines at an average rate. The mean survivorship values with this model are higher than those with the deterministic model. In the third model lung function also declines with infection, however the severity of infection increases as lung function diminishes. By this mechanism of decline we find that patients, in general, do worse and that females do worse than males. These models could be integrated with clinical data. |
