Neuropsychological Sequelae in a Series of Patients with End-Stage Cystic Fibrosis: Lung Transplant Evaluation

There has been a relative absence of studies that examine the neuropsychological profiles of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. Data are presented here for 18 individuals with end-stage cystic fibrosis who were also potential candidates for lung transplantation. Neuropsychological test results indicated a diversity of memory and executive control deficits, the most frequent of which were immediate and delayed free recall and retrieval impairments on a memory measure involving noncontextual verbal material. The majority of this sample of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis also exhibited clinically significant elevations on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-2/MMPI-A), which are suggestive of heightened levels of psychological distress (e.g., depressive symptomatology) and multiple somatic complaints. These findings are discussed in light of factors associated with end-stage cystic fibrosis. Implications for clinical practice and future research are also provided.