Unfortunately, there is no cure for cystic fibrosis, but proper treatment can ease your symptoms, reduce complications, and improve your quality of life. Early diagnosis of CF means that treatments can begin immediately. Doctors will examine the levels of salt in your sweat to confirm a diagnosis.īecause this condition is passed from parent to children, newborn screening is routinely done in every state in the U.S. CF causes higher than normal levels of salt in your sweat.
Genetic testing may be done to see if you carry the mutated gene that triggers cystic fibrosis. Since this disease is an inherited condition, reviewing your family history is important. If you or your child show symptoms of cystic fibrosis or if someone in your family has CF, talk with your doctor about testing for the disease. This can result in foul-smelling or greasy stools, poor weight gain and growth, intestinal blockage, or chronic and severe constipation, which may include frequent straining while trying to pass stool. That same thick mucus that can clog your airways can also bog tubes that carry enzymes from your pancreas to your small intestine. The second type of symptoms are digestive. This can trigger a persistent cough that produces thick mucus, wheezing, exercise intolerance, repeated lung infections, and inflamed nasal passages or a stuffy nose or recurrent sinusitis. Thick, sticky mucus can clog the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. There are two kinds of symptoms associated with cystic fibrosis. Although it can occur in all races, cystic fibrosis is most common in white people of North European ancestry.
Because CF is an inherited disorder, family history determines your risk. However, they will be a carrier of that mutated gene, so they could pass it along to their own children in the future. If they only inherit one copy from one parent, they won't develop it. A child needs to inherit one copy of the mutated gene from each parent to develop cystic fibrosis. A defect to this gene changes how a salt moves in and out of cells, resulting in thick, sticky mucus in the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems. Simply put, cystic fibrosis is a gene defect. There are many tools and techniques doctors use to help manage this complicated condition and with improvement in screening and treatments, life expectancy for those with cystic fibrosis is better than ever before. Although there is no cure for cystic fibrosis, people with this condition are generally able to live normal lives. Instead of acting as lubricants, these secretions plug up the tubes, ducts and airways in your body. But in people with CF, they're thick and sticky. These secreted fluids are normally thin and slippery. Cystic fibrosis affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat and digestive juices. It's an inherited disease caused by a defective gene that can be passed from generation to generation. Cystic fibrosis is a disorder that damages your lungs, digestive tract and other organs. Whether you're looking for answers for yourself or someone you love, we're here to give you the best information available. What is it? Who gets it? The symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. In this video, we'll cover the basics of cystic fibrosis. Sarah Chalmers, a pulmonologist at Mayo Clinic.
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