Patients with cystic fibrosis have altered levels of plasma fatty acids. We previously demonstrated that arachidonic acid levels are increased and docosahexaenoic acid levels are decreased in affected tissues from cystic fibrosis–knockout mice. In this study we determined whether humans with mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene have a similar fatty acid defect in tissues expressing CFTR.

Association of Cystic Fibrosis with Abnormalities in Fatty Acid Metabolism