Health: Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis genes causes mucus builds up in areas such as your pancreas as well as your lungs. The mucus becomes very thick and the individual will have problems breathing. Other related issues will include growth, digestion and nutrition issues. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the disease and the cystic fibrosis life expectancy varies among individuals.

In times past, people with the Cystic fibrosis genes did not live for a very long time. Now with the advances in medicine they are able to have cystic fibrosis life expectancy well into their thirties. Over ten million Americans including well over thirty thousand children are suffering from this debilitating disease. (Provide a link for this statistics) Millions more have the genes but do not suffer from the illness. You have to possess genes of cystic fibrosis from both parents.

Some of the symptoms of the disease include poor oxygen levels in the blood as well as the clubbing effect in the appearance of the fingers and toes. Some people also have a barrel shaped chest. It is also difficult for them to absorb all the nutrients needed from their food hence their bowel movement can be to a certain extent smelly.

Females with the Cystic fibrosis genes will have difficulty conceiving a child as their cervical secretions are very thick. This makes it difficult from the male’s sperm to get to the egg. In the man’s case, they are generally sterile and unable to produce children. Babies will taste very salty when you kiss them because people with Cystic Fibrosis have high levels of chloride and sodium in their sweat.

Newborns do not have sweat glands which are active, so it is almost impossible to determine if they have the disease using that method. However, doctors can do an immunoreactive trypsinogen test (IRT). This is done by taking blood from the baby and checking if there is trypsinogen present; it is a kind of protein.