1. Cystic Fibrosis Sharon George PD.3

2. Cystic Fibrosis is inherited when the child inherits two mutated CFTR genes, one from each parent. The presence of two mutant genes is needed for Cystic Fibrosis to appear. It is a recessive trait, as the parents of a child with cystic fibrosis are free of cystic fibrosis

3. Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis: – salty taste to the skin, noticed when kissed as a child – Wheezing – Persistent cough – Repeated lung infections – Repeated sinus infections – Intestinal blockage, particularly in newborns About 30,000 children and adults have cystic fibrosis in the US. 70,000 world wide. About 1000 new cases are diagnosed each year occurs most common among Caucasians of northern European descent (1 in 2,500 births) Occurs equally in females and males

4. The average life span for a cystic fibrosis patient is 37.4 years There is no cure for cystic fibrosis – Doctors are unable to replace the gene that causes CF or find a drug that can totally counteract the effects of the gene Common treatment for CF patients are – Airway clearance techniques – Medication to clear mucus from lungs – Prevention and management of infections – Proper nutrition

5. It was found that families were not able to maintain the usual pattern of family relationships. Since a CF patient needs a lot of care (doctor’s vists, medication) the parents suffered from fatigue and large amounts of stress A CF patient needs a lot of care therefore, in a family with more than one child, the healthy “normal” child would sometimes be neglected.

6. Personally, I learned that cystic fibrosis is a cruel disease but not unmanageable. It’s victims are deprived of many aspects of a “normal” life, but in my opinion patients with CF can, in some ways, operate as “normally” as the rest of us. During the research I did for this project I’ve come to believe that cystic fibrosis is curable and that such a cure will soon be found.

7. WORKS CITED o http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/79/2/239 http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/79/2/239 o http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cysticfibrosis/id289104.pdf http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cysticfibrosis/id289104.pdf o http://www.lungusa.org/assets/documents/publications/solddc-chapters/cf.pdf http://www.lungusa.org/assets/documents/publications/solddc-chapters/cf.pdf o http://www.cff.org/AboutCF/ http://www.cff.org/AboutCF/ o http://www.cff.org/AboutCF/Faqs/ http://www.cff.org/AboutCF/Faqs/ o http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cystic-fibrosis/DS00287/DSECTION=symptoms http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cystic-fibrosis/DS00287/DSECTION=symptoms o http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cf/cf_signs.html http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cf/cf_signs.html