Cystic Fibrosis
By: Ashley Edwards
What is Cystic Fibrosis?
Cystic Fibrosis was first discovered by an American Pathologist named Dr. Dorothy Andersen in 1938. It is a single gene mutation, where your lungs and digestive system become clogged with thick mucus, resulting in the blockage of airways. This can be shown in the diagram below.
Symptoms/Effects
There are many side effects of cystic fibrosis that doctors can use to diagnose a patient. Here are a few:
- thick & sticky mucus
- coughing/wheezing
- clubbed fingertips
- deformed chest
- malnutrition
- stomach pain
- difficulty gaining weight
- dehydration
- salty sweat
- trouble breathing
- persistent lung infections
Clubbed Fingertips
Deformed Chest
Chest X-Ray
How is CF inherited?
How Common is Cystic Fibrosis?
Life Expectancy
Diagnostic Tests
Usually, a doctor uses the basic symptoms of cystic fibrosis to diagnose a person, but their are other tests than can determine if you have the disorder or not. A sweat chloride test, shown in the diagram below, is used to test the salt content in a patient's sweat. This is helpful for diagnosing cystic fibrosis because people with CF tend to have a very high salt content in their sweat compared to the average person. This procedure can be done by pulsing a small electric current through their arm, which will help produce enough sweat to test. Lastly, chest x-rays are also helpful for diagnosing CF because your lungs are drastically affected by the disorder.
Prevention/Treatment
Organizations/Support Groups
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Email: info@cff.org
Website: https://www.cff.org/
Location: 6931 Arlington Road, 2nd floor Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Phone: 301-951-4422
Cystic Fibrosis Research Inc.
Email: cfri@cfri.org
Website: http://www.cfri.org/home.shtml
Location: 1731 Embarcadero Rd #210, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone: (650) 404-9975