Socioeconomic Status and Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Outcomes study

Over the past decades, there has been a remarkable increase in the life expectancy of patients with cystic fibrosis (PWCF). It is believed that socio-economic status has, along with other factors, an impact on the disease prognosis. The “Socioeconomic Status and Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Outcomes study” (SESCFO) is a study about the relation between the socio-economic determinants and the clinical processes and disease outcomes of patients with cystic fibrosis in Belgium in the period 2005-2015.

This study will combine existing data from different sources: a) the Belgian Cystic Fibrosis Registry (BCFR), which is yearly collecting data from the Belgian reference centres for cystic fibrosis for epidemiological research; b) the Belgian Cystic Fibrosis Association (BCFA), an organisation for people with cystic fibrosis, has information on non-reimbursed medication, medical services and other financial support; c) the Intermutualistic agency (IMA-AIM) who manages a database of the expenses of the national health insurance made by all Belgian mutualities, including the reimbursed medication, medical services and socio-economic status of a patient; and d) the crossroads bank of social security (KSZ-BCSS) with extensive data on the socio-economic status of all Belgian inhabitants.