Cystic+Fibrosis

CF short term for Cystic fibrosis is a chronic, frequently fatal, progressive, genetically disease of the mucus and sweat glands. It affects mostly your lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, sinuses and sex organs, in other words the respiratory and digestive system. CF causes your mucus to be thick and sticky. The mucus closes the lungs, causing breathing problems and making it easy for bacteria to grow. Mutations in the CFTR gene cause cystic fibrosis. The CFTR gene provides instructions for making a channel that transports negatively charged particles called chloride ions into and out of cells. The flow of chloride ions helps control the movement of water in tissues, which is necessary for the production of thin, freely flowing mucus. Mutations in the CFTR gene disrupt the function of the chloride channels, preventing them from regulating the flow of chloride ions and water across cell membranes. As a result, cells that line the passageways of the lungs, pancreas, and other organs produce mucus that is unusually thick and sticky. This mucus clogs the airways and glands, causing the characteristic signs and symptoms of cystic fibrosis.
 * Cystic Fibrosis **
 * What is Cystic Fibrosis? **
 * Genetic Disease? **



Cystic fibrosis has no cure. However, treatments have greatly improved in recent years. The goals of CF treatment are: CPT also is called chest clapping or percussion. Is a method that involves pounding your chest and backs over and over with your hands or a device to loosen the mucus from your lungs so that you can cough it up. Breathing techniques like CPT also may help remove mucus so you can cough it up. These techniques include forcing out a couple of short breaths or deeper breaths and then doing relaxed breathing. This may help loosen the mucus in your lungs and open your airways.
 * Benefits/Treatment **
 * Preventing and controlling lung infections
 * Loosening and removing thick, sticky mucus from the lungs
 * Preventing or treating blockages in the intestines

In addition patients with CF also may do some exercises to loosen up the mucus. Aerobic exercises for example make the patient in treatment breathe harder therefore helps loosen the mucus in their airway so they can cough it up. Furthermore, medicines are also prescribed for this syndrome. Main medicines are antibiotics which are to prevent or treat lung infections; anti-inflammatory medicines that help reduce swelling in your airways due to ongoing infections. Bronchodilators are also given to patients with CF this helps open the airways by relaxing the muscles around them; this is mainly given before CPT treatment to help clear the mucus for the airways. As many other syndromes and diseases there are always risk factors and complications in Cystic Fibrosis a common complication is diabetes which requires different treatments and osteoporosis which makes the bones be thinner and weaker.

Cystic Fibrosis symptoms vary depending on the patient, however the basic problem is the same-an abnormality in the glands, which produce or secrete sweat and mucus. People with CF lose an excessive amount of salt when the sweat, this can upset the balance of minerals in the blood, which cause some cardiovascular malfunctions. Cystic Fibrosis symptoms also include sinusitis, clubbing, hemoptysis, cor pulmonale, abdominal pain, rectal prolapsed, liver disease and others. Apart from having some of these symptoms they have to do a daily routine to stay healthy. They need to take their pancreas enzyme supplementation, vitamins, DM treatment, Physiotherapy, take antibiotics, insulin, gastric acid medication, fat soluble vitamins, take ursochol and nasal corticosteroid. > up from the lungs)
 * Limitations/Symptoms **
 * Some symptoms: **
 * Thick, viscous mucus secretions in the lungs
 * Repeated infections: The accumulation of sticky, thick mucus in the lungs creates a favorable environment for infectious microorganisms to inhabit and flourish.
 * Stools, pale or clay colored, foul smelling, or stools that float
 * Recurrent pneumonia
 * Chronic cough, possibly with blood streaking
 * Wheezing
 * Bronchitis
 * Chronic Sinusitis
 * Asthma
 * Nasal polyps (fleshy growths inside the nose)
 * Weight loss, failure to thrive in infants, abdominal swelling
 * Excessive salt in sweat, dehydration
 * Failure of newborn to pass stool
 * Abdominal pain, flatulence
 * Fatigue
 * Enlarged fingertips
 * Changes in color and amount of sputum (material coughed



This condition does not only pose threat to the affected individual but the relationships surrounding him as well. It is therefore important to anticipate the effects of cystic fibrosis on relationship to avoid further problems. Understanding the consequences of the disease can help the significant others adjust to the needs of the ill individual. Family relationship has to be maintained or established with such disease condition. The first group of people who will be affected is the family. They are responsible for taking care of the sick individual and they are accountable for whatever happens to the patient. Cystic Fibrosis is a very difficult condition as they depend on the medicines and treatment to live. Also depending on their degree of illness they cannot get out of their place of treatment as it can be in a hospital, Cystic Fibrosis special institutions or at home. This affects their social live directly as they can’t make any friends. Being a youngster or a teenager is very hard in this condition as they are not able to play or socialize. As you saw before they need to do a daily routine to stay healthy therefore they cannot live alone neither be away from a hospital.
 * Social **

Cystic Fibrosis is an expensive condition as there is a best survival chance in specialized centers. Also the costs of the treatments increase more when the patient is older as the symptoms get worse and harder to treat. But depending in the age, and degree of CF in a patient he can be home care as it is less expensive but as effective, but as I mentioned before only depending on the patient.
 * Economical **

Works Cited “About Cystic Fibrosis.” //Cystic Fibrosis Foundation//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. . “Cystic fibrosis.” //Genetics Home Reference//. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. . “Cystic Fibrosis.” //Medline Plus//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. . “What is Cystic Fibrosis?” //Cystic Fibrosis//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. . .