When mucus clogs airways in your lungs, infections and lung damage can occur.
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Signs and Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis symptoms vary with the diseases severity.
Symptoms can also change in the same patient over time.
Some people may not experience any CF symptoms until they become teenagers or adults.
Its triggered by a nonworking gene that a person inherits from their parents.
People with the disease inherit two nonworking copies of the cystic fibrosis gene one from each parent.
Signs of cystic fibrosis can be detected on a newborn screen.
All 50 U.S. states now routinely screen newborns for the disease.
If the newborn screening comes back positive for CF, more tests are done to confirm a diagnosis.
These may include the following:
Today, most children are diagnosed with cystic fibrosis by age 2.
Getting an early diagnosis is important because the outcomes are better when treatments are started sooner.
In the 1970s, most patients with CF didnt live beyond their teen years.
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Duration of Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a lifetime disease.
You cant cure or get rid of it.
Its usually performed as an outpatient therapy and involves physical exercises and breathing techniques.
As part of the program, you may also receive counseling, support, and nutrition advice.
The techniques aim to loosen the thickened mucus in the lungs, so its easier to cough up.
You should always talk to your doctor before trying an alternative approach.
There are many nutritional and herbal supplements available for CF.
Additionally, some people report improvement with acupuncture or massage.
The following are some typical CF complications.
Chronic Infections
Pneumoniaandbronchitisare common infections in people with cystic fibrosis.
Minimizing exposure to germs is critical for CF patients.
Fungal organisms or atypical mycobacteria can also cause infections in people with cystic fibrosis.
Bronchiectasis
This chronic condition damages the airways in the lungs (bronchi).
Some signs of bronchiectasis resemble acute bronchitis.
Common symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, fatigue, and coughing up green or yellow mucus.
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Nasal Polyps
Nasal polyps are benign tumors made up of inflamed tissues.
These small sacs can develop in the nose, leading to chronic congestion and difficulty breathing through the nose.
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Lung tissue is sometimes damaged so badly that the lungs stop working.
In this case patients may undergo evaluation and planning for a lung transplant.
It causes chest pain and shortness of breath.
It is more common in older CF patients.
Diabetes
Almost 20 percent of people with cystic fibrosis will develop diabetes by age 30.
The thick mucus associated with CF causes scarring of the pancreas, the organ that produces insulin.
As a result, CF patients can become insulin deficient (like people with key in 1 diabetes).
Like people with throw in 2 diabetes, CF patients can become insulin resistant.
This is often referred to asexocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI).
Approximately 85 percent of CF patients are exocrine pancreatic insufficient.
Intestinal Obstruction
This jot down of blockage keeps food or liquid from passing through the bowel.
DIOS is mainly seen in patients with pancreatic insufficiency.
Research suggests that cystic fibrosisassociated liver disease (CFLD) affects approximately 30 percent of CF patients.
Lung disease and malnutrition associated with CF can compromise bone health.
Low bone mineral density (BMD) is common in adult CF patients.
Arthritis
CF patients have a high risk of joint inflammation and pain, particularly as they age.
Research and Statistics: Who Has Cystic Fibrosis?
CF occurs predominantly in white populations, at a rate of 1 in 2,500 births.
They are rarely found in Native Americans, Asians, or native Africans.
Indeed, Hispanic Americans were nearly 3 times more likely to die of cystic fibrosis than non-Hispanic patients.
Researchers are continuing to study why this potential disparity exists.
Her goal is to compose helpful articles that readers can easily understand and use to improve their well-being.
She is passionate about healthy living and delivering important medical information through her writing.
Prior to her freelance career, Marks was a supervising producer of medical programming for Ivanhoe Broadcast News.
She is a Telly award winner and Freddie award finalist.
