Cystic Fibrosis In this paper, I will talk about the symptoms, diagnosis, research, and how to live with Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease of the secretory glands, which are the glands that make mucus and sweat, and mainly affects the lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, sinuses, and sex organs. The symptoms of cystic fibrosis are salty-tasting skin, persistent coughing (sometimes with phlegm), Lung infections that are frequent, shortness of breath, constipation, and male infertility. Some examples of lung infections are pneumonia and bronchitis. If you have Cystic Fibrosis, you’re mucus becomes sticky and thick, and blocks your airways and becomes built up in your lungs. All of the extra mucus build up makes it much easier …show more content…
But because the type/severity of cystic fibrosis can differ from one person to another by a lot, there isn’t any normal treatment plan. One common treatment therapy is airway clearance, in which the affected person wears a vest that vibrates at a high frequency, which loosens and thins the mucus buildup. Another is the usage of inhaled medicines. These medicines help open airways and thin the mucus buildup. The medicines are liquids that are made into a mist and inhaled through a nebulizer. The medicines have antibiotics to help fight lung infections. Also, there are pancreatic enzyme capsules, which help improve the absorption of vital nutrients, and are normally taken with most meals and snacks. In addition to the capsule, people with the disease usually take multivitamins. Two relatively new treatments are a type of drug called a CTFR modulator, which targets the defective CTFR gene. These drugs were only recently approved by the FDA, the first was in 2012, and the second just this year (2015). It is expected that the new drugs could add many years to the lives of people affected by Cystic fibrosis. Also, a cystic fibrosis specialist can treat you. The U.S has about 100 cystic fibrosis care centers, which have teams of doctors/nurses and respiratory/physical therapists who all specialize in Cystic fibrosis care/treatment. In order to live with cystic fibrosis, having ongoing care is vital to your health. It is normal for people who are affected by the disease to go to cystic fibrosis checkups approximately every three months. You should always talk to your doctor about whether or not you should get the annual flu shot and/or vaccines. You should contact your doctor immediately if you have any of the
Nearly 1 in every 30 Americans are a carrier of the recessive gene that leads to CF (About Cystic Fibrosis, n.d.). Although CF is a life-threatening condition, through the advancement of treatments and care, there has been a steady increase in life expectancy and improvement in the quality of life. The current mean age of survival is now 40. Although that does not seem very high, sixty years ago, a child diagnosed with CF did not survive childhood (About Cystic Fibrosis, n.d.). CF is a complex disease, where the types and severity of symptoms can differ widely from person to person. Symptoms may include fatigue, salty-tasting skin, persistent cough with phlegm, wheezing and shortness of breath, lung infections, and poor growth and weight loss (Cystic Fibrosis Symptoms, Causes & Risk Factors, 2018). Many different factors, such as the age of diagnosis, can affect an individual's health and the course of the
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder in which mucus glands produce abnormally thick secretions. These secretions can lead to chronic infections of the lungs and eventually lead to obstruction of the pancreas, resulting in digestive enzyme deficiency, the liver is also sometimes affected. Secretions from the sweat and salivary glands of a CF patient frequently contain abnormally high amounts of sodium and chloride. Because the body produces a high amount of salt, a sweat test is generally used to diagnose the disorder.
What is Cystic Fibrosis? How does it affect people living with it? Cystic Fibrosis, also known as CF, is a life-threatening hereditary disease. It is inherited by a faulty cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductor (CFTR) gene from each parent (Kowalczyk, 2014, p. 74). This faulty gene makes a defective protein that does not work well and causes the body to produce sticky, thick mucus and very salty sweat("About CF: Causes, Signs & Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis,"
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes the body’s lungs to generate a different type of mucus than a non-infected body would. The contaminated lungs will produce mucus that is thick and adhesive which clogs the lungs and leads to an unpleasant and abhorrent lung infection. CF also interferes with the pancreas, disallowing the digestive enzymes from breaking down and absorbing food in the intestine. This can result in low nutrition, feeble growth, excessive sweat production, difficulties in breathing, and sometimes lung disease. When producing extra sweat and mucus, the body loses salt. If too much salt is lost, it can cause abnormal heart rhythms, disturbance of minerals in the blood, and perhaps, shock.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder that affects many functions of the body: breathing, digestion, and reproduction. The lifelong illness usually gets more severe with age and can affect both males and female equally. The symptoms and severity of cystic fibrosis differ from person to person. Most patients have both respiratory and digestive problems, while others only have respiratory problems. Intelligence is not affected in people with CF.
Cystic Fibrosis cannot be developed or contracted it is something you’re born with. CF is a recessive disease, it occurs when a child inherits one defective copy of the gene from each parent. This gene mutation is responsible for cystic fibrosis. ("Cystic fibrosis Canada," 2011) This gene is known as the CFTR gene ("www.medincinet.com," 1996). Reference Figure 3. The “gene makes a protein that controls the movement of salt and water in and out of your body's cells. In people who have cystic fibrosis, the gene makes a protein that doesn't work right. This causes the thick, sticky mucus” ("www.medincinet.com," 1996).
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system. This disorder is among over 70,000 people worldwide, and about 30,000 just in the United States alone. Nearly half of the Cystic Fibrosis population is age 18 or older, and are normally diagnosed by age 2. Though Cystic fibrosis is a complex disease and the types and severity of symptoms can differ widely from person to person. Many different factors, such as age of diagnosis, can affect an individual's health and the course of the disease. Today the median survival age for having this disorder is close to 40 years old. To most that might seem very young, but this is a huge improvement from what it was in past years. New advances in technology makes it possible for people with this disorder to
This increases bacteria growth and causes infections (NHLBI, "What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis?", 2013). These infections can clog the airways and damage the lungs making it difficult to breath (NHLBI, "What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis?", 2013). The signs and symptoms of cystic fibrosis according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation are very salty tasting skin, persistent cough with sputum, frequent lung infections, wheezing, shortness of breath, poor growth, constipation, greasy,bulky stools(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation [CFF], "About CF: Causes, Signs & Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis | CF Foundation",
Cystic fibrosis, also known as mucoviscidosis, is a genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestines. Some symptoms are difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. Other signs and symptoms include sinus infections, poor growth, fatty stool, clubbing of the finger and toes, and infertility in males among others. Different people may have different stages of the symptoms. In the lungs the mucus stops the air ways up with bacteria leading to lung damage or maybe even respiratory failure. There is also more major symptoms like very salty tasting skin, pneumonia or bronchitis.
The signs and symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis are going to involve the respiratory, gastrointestinal, reproductive and occasionally sweat glands. Usually we will see symptoms as early as birth as well as later in life. The very firsts signs of CF are noticed by parents on a new born child, when the child does not pass his stool(meconium) as well as a salty sweat in the forehead when kissed. (Health, 2013) Some relative sign and symptoms of the respiratory system include: cough, thick sputum, lung infections and sinus infections. The digestive system symptoms are a result of mucus blocking ducts and tubes. Constipation, stomach pain, Diarrhea, foul-smelling, greasy stools and poor weight gain are some of the main sings of CF. In the reproductive system females will have a hard time conceiving due to mucus in the cervix whereas males are considered infertile because they are born without a vas deferens tube. Other common signs and symptoms mostly seen with patient who have CF are salty sweat, fatigue, weakness, increased heart rate and decreased blood pressure.
What is Cystic Fibrosis? Cystic Fibrosis is a progressive genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections that limits you the ability to breath. The first ever case of CF was in 1938 by Dr. Dorothy Anderson a Pathologist. He found the disease to be caused by malnutrition Dr. Dorothy called the disease “Cystic Fibrosis of the Pancreas”. Cases of this disease in the 1950s where difficult because people never lived long enough to make it to elementary school. With the advances of technology over the years people with CF live long enough to make a family and finish their careers. Over the years scientist and doctors still have not found a cure for CF. Lung cancer is one of the most serious side effects of getting CF because of mucus getting clogged up in the lungs.
In the respiratory system, the mucus causes breathing difficulties, frequent respiratory infections and eventually permanent lung damage. The mucus builds up providing bacteria with a place to flourish. The most common infection comes from a bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The body's response to P. aeruginosa includes inflammation, which causes episodes of intense breathing problems (Pseudomonas Genome Project, 1998). Normally the body will get rid of excess mucus by coughing before it's a problem but with the thick mucus involved in CF the body has a harder time to get rid of the thicker mucus. Lung disease is the usual cause of death in most patients (National Institutes of Health, 1995). In the digestive system, mucus can block the supply of enzymes used to break down food. The result of the blockage of such enzymes is malnutrition. The patient will have an excessive appetite but will not experience any weight gain. What is also evident is a failure to grow, CF was often misdiagnosed vaguely as "failure to thrive" when physicians didn't know the reason for this poor growth. Sweating is also a problem in people with CF. One of the basic defects in CF is the faulty transport of sodium and chloride (salt). People with CF lose excessive amounts of salt when they sweat. This causes the natural balance of salt in the body to be off balance, which may cause abnormal heart rhythms (National Institutes of Health, 1995).
Envision needing to breathe through a straw consistently, for whatever remains of your life. This is the means by which people consistently feel while living with Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a deep rooted, genetic infection that influences numerous real organs. Sticky bodily fluid obstructs the aviation route in the lungs and in addition pathways leading to the digestive framework in the pancreas. This destructive illness has been examined for a considerable length of time with a strong desire for a cure. Advancements in technological innovations will clear the way for a better comprehension of Cystic Fibrosis, and, in addition, a significant improvement in lifestyle for patients.
Para 4. Cystic fibrosis has a very large toll on the patients’ everyday life. From regular hospital visits to getting a sudden blockage. Most of the time they cannot take part in regular everyday activities because of many struggles, such as a persistent cough, difficulty breathing, tiredness frequent visits to the toilet and frequent muscle cramps. Due to these symptoms majority of CF patients struggle to maintain a normal lifestyle like their peers who are not diagnosed. The parts of the body affected are the the lungs, the digestive system (pancreas & liver) and the reproductive system. In respiratory system the thick mucus clogs the tight air passages and also traps a lot of bacteria. Repeated infections can lead to severe and irreversible
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that ultimately leads to death. It affects every racial group worldwide, but its prevalence varies from country to country. In those with cystic fibrosis, the lungs and digestive system are primarily affected by the disease. With the new developments in treatment and management, the 50 percent survival rate from the 1970’s has greatly improved, allowing patients to continue to live their lives longer than ever expected in the past. The new developments in prevention of exacerbations, therapy drugs and methods to preserve lung function have done great things to help patients extend their lives. Education is another important aspect of treating cystic fibrosis. For example, more the