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5 Things You Must Know About Cystic Fibrosis

1. What is cystic fibrosis? Children with cystic fibrosis suffer from a genetic condition that affects the secretory glands. It commonly affects the lungs, liver, intestines, sinuses and even the sex organs. Our body produces mucus everyday that doesn't bother as at all, however for children affected with cystic fibrosis, the mucus becomes sticky and thick. This causes problems especially to the lungs and digestive system. The production of sticky and thick mucus is convenient and conducive to the survival and rapid growth of bacteria, therefore, the child is prone to recurrent infection.

2. How is it diagnosed. Parents who have history of cystic fibrosis should undergo genetic screening to determine the percentage of passing on the genetic disease to their offspring. During pregnancy, an amniocentesis or a chorionic villus sampling can be done to check whether the fetus has cystic fibrosis or not. Those test mentioned carry very high risk for both the mother and the fetus which is why parents would usually opt to wait for the child to be born before a test could be done. Newborn screening tests are also available to determine whether the child has the disease or not, determining it at an early age is crucial for the child's prognosis. If for instance, the parents have no idea that they carry the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, the child may undergo the sweat test. Physicians would measure the amount of salt in the child's sweat, a very high amount indicates cystic fibrosis.

3. The diet. A child suffering from cystic fibrosis would normally suffer from malnutrition and slow growth. This is because her body can't absorb and metabolize the necessary nutrients and vitamins that her growing body needs. Parents should make sure to feed the child as often as possible to cope up with the body's demands. It is recommended to feed the child snacks or meals every 2 to 3 hours. Her diet should consist of high protein, high fat and high salt. Protein for energy as her body needs as much energy to keep pace with the normal growth and development. High fat intake is needed because the child has difficulty absorbing the nutrient, thereby, supplementing is essential. Since the child losses tremendous amount of salt especially after an activity, she needs to replace all the lost salt so as not to upset and cause imbalance in her system.

4. As mentioned above, children with cystic fibrosis are very prone to lung infection. Repeated infection causes degeneration of the lungs which will eventually fail causing death. The organisms that causes the infection are in fact common inhabitants in our environment that doesn't bother normal and healthy people. You should make sure to protect yourself from getting infected and treat the infections accordingly.

5. Treatment. Unfortunately, cystic fibrosis has no known cure, patients with this disease will carry it on until they grow old. There are treatments however that may help in relieving some of the illnesses that comes with the disease especially those that affects the lungs. It is recommended to go to a cystic fibrosis specialist in order to receive quality care from someone who knows the disease inside out. Some treatments that may be recommended are: Chest physiotherapy which involves chest clapping or percussion to loosen the secretions in the lungs. There are different options with this treatment that may necessitate the use of mechanical gadget, airwaves and vibrating masks. Exercise also serves as a treatment for cystic fibrosis patient, this helps them loosen the secretions. However be certain to replace all the salt and water that you loose during exercise.