Cystic Fibrosis | Teen Ink

Cystic Fibrosis

November 12, 2021
By 23jenniferagoodine PLATINUM, Easley, South Carolina
23jenniferagoodine PLATINUM, Easley, South Carolina
24 articles 0 photos 2 comments

I chose Cystic Fibrosis because I read the book Five Feet Apart by Mikki Daughtry, Rachael Lippincott, and Tobias Iaconis. It made me curious about the types of Cystic Fibrosis. It also made me hope there could be a cure for people who are terminal with the disease. Another reason I chose this disease is to find out the structure of the DNA when they have this disease and the effects it has on their body. The last reason I’m interested in this disease is to learn what treatment they have to do.

Acute and chronic sinusitis is a sinus problem. It's common in people with cystic fibrosis. Acute and chronic sinusitis is caused by thick, sticky mucus building up in the sinuses. Symptoms include pain in the face, congestion, constant clearing of the throat. Another problem is Cystic fibrosis, which causes thick mucus in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. This thick mucus in the lungs causes the airways to be blocked. It makes it hard for the patient to breathe. When the thick mucus gets into the pancreas, it makes it hard for the enzymes to travel to the intestines. Which makes it hard for the enzymes to get to the food and help break it down so it can be digested.

There are many symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis. Some of those symptoms include pain, cough, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory problems, development problems, and whole-body problems. Most of the pain for cystic fibrosis is located in the abdomen in the body. If a CF patient has a cough, it could include blood or phlegm. This means it could be a thick substance caused by the mucous membranes. Some gastrointestinal problems are heartburn and constipation.  A respiratory problem is a pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure. It affects the arteries and lungs in a CF patient, which causes pressure in the chest. The development issues are they might not hit puberty on time. Whole-body problems with CF are infertility in males. Both men and women have a body problem with weight loss.

There are many treatments for people with Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis tests may be done for older children, adults, and babies. The first thing doctors do is diagnose if you have CF or not. Doctors start with an exam to look at your symptoms and then do other tests. One test the doctors do is a blood sample to look for high levels of immunoreactive trypsinogen. This chemical is released by the pancreas. They also do a genetic test to look for the gene that causes CF. Another test they do is a sweat test. They put a chemical on the skin to make it sweat. Then they collect it and see if it's saltier than normal.

The most affected group of people is people with European ancestors. An estimate of 30,000 people have cystic fibrosis just in the united states. 75% percent of people that are diagnosed with CF are diagnosed by the age of 2. What is the prevalence, or percent of the people, affected by the disease or disorder? percent of the people affected by cystic fibrosis about 1 in 2,500 to 3,500 white newborns.

The organ system that Cystic Fibrosis mainly affects is the digestive system. This happens because it affects the pancreas which secretes substances that help digestion and control blood sugar levels. The secretions eventually become thick and start to clog the ducts in the pancreas. This causes a decrease in secretion enzymes from the pancreas that help digest food. Cystic fibrosis also affects the respiratory system. The main organ in the respiratory system it affects is the lungs. This causes thickened mucus to form in the lungs. When in the lungs the mucus starts to block the airways. Which creates lung damage and makes it hard to breathe.


The author's comments:

This was an essay I had to do for a class and finished. 


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