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Pre-proof, online 12 January 2026
Long-term Outcomes of Pediatric CFSPID: A 15-Year Clinical and Genomic Study Across Newborn Screening Cystic Fibrosis Units
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Ana Morales Tirado1,2,3,
Corresponding author
ana.moralest@salud.madrid.org

Corresponding author:
, Enrique Blitz Castro1,2,3, Ana Tabares Gonzlez1,3, Celia Gascoan Galindo1,2,3, Saioa Vicente Santamaria4, Carmen Luna Paredes4, Enrique Salcedo Lobato4, Simon Boutry5,6, Adelaida Lamas Ferreiro1,2,3
1 Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal. M‑607, Km 9.100, 28034 Madrid, Spain
2 Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
3 Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS). M‑607, Km 9.100, 28034 Madrid, Spain
4 Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre. Av. de Córdoba s/n, 28041 Madrid, Spain
5 School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. CH‑1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
6 Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. CH‑1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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ABSTRACT

Background: Newborn blood spot screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) increasingly identifies infants with inconclusive results, classified as CF screen–positive inconclusive diagnosis (CFSPID). However, long-term outcome data remain limited.

Objective: To analyze the clinical and biochemical course of children with CFSPID.

Methods: We conducted a bi-center observational cohort study including all children designated as CFSPID through the Madrid NBS program from July 2009 through June 2024. Follow-up assessments included serial sweat chloride (SC) testing, respiratory and GI evaluations, spirometry from age 5 or older, nasopharyngeal cultures, and fecal elastase measurements.

Results: A total of 100 children were enrolled. After a median follow-up of 3.59 years [IQR, 1.73–5.43], 25% were reclassified as unaffected carriers following CFTR variant reinterpretation. The remaining 75 were categorized into 3 genotype groups: 66 with CF-causing (CFc)/Variant of Varying Clinical Consequence (VVCC), 4 with VVCC/VVCC, and 5 with CFc/Variant of Uncertain Significance (VUS). By the end of follow-up, 42.67% developed at least 1 intermediate or positive SC value. Three children (4%), all carrying the CFc/VVCC genotype, converted to cystic fibrosis (mean age at conversion, 4.23 years), and 1 child (1.3%) developed a CFTR-related disorder. Clinical signs were mild, with normal spirometry and full pancreatic sufficiency. No Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were detected.

Conclusions: Conversion from CFSPID to CF was rare (4%), but abnormal SC values were frequent (42.67%), supporting the need for structured, long-term monitoring. Continued follow-up in specialized CF centers is essential for early detection of disease progression.

Keywords:
CFSPID
newborn screening
sweat chloride
cystic fibrosis
conversion
pediatrics
Abbreviations:
CBAVD
CF
CFc
CFTR
CFTR-RD
CFSPID
ECFS
FEV₁
IRT
IQR
MSSA
NBS
nCFc
NPA
P. aeruginosa
PI
PS
PEx
RP
SC
VUS
VVCC
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