Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an incurable mucus and sweat gland inherited disease. Its abnormal gene has a control issue with moving salt and water in and out of your cells.
As a result, cystic fibrosis causes your mucus to be sticky thick, rather than runny thin normal. And your sweat to be extremely salty.
Sticky thick mucus and extreme salt loss creates some detrimental health outcomes like dehydration, malnutrition and breathing problems.
Areas of your body that can be mostly affected by cystic fibrosis are:
Cystic fibrosis symptoms and severity vary greatly. Some don’t discover they have this condition until their teenage years, or beyond.
Commonly, CF causing thick mucus blocks airways and clogs your lungs. Not only do you experience breathing difficulties, but this environment makes it easier for bacteria flourish. As such, you’ll suffer from frequent repeated bouts with lung infections , such as:
Permanent lung damage is a possible health consequence, and respiratory failure is cystic fibrosis’ common cause of death.
CF’s thick, sticky mucus can also block your pancreatic ducts, preventing digestive enzymes from entering your small intestines. Absent these enzymes to breakdown food, fat a & protein absorption is detrimentally affected. Health issues from this deficit includes:
- endless diarrhea
- vitamin A, D, E, and K deficiency
- intestinal gas, bloating discomfort
- bulky, foul-smelling, greasy stools
- failure to thrive ~ no weight gain despite a voracious appetite
Dehydration is a another health problem with cystic fibrosis, aftermath of excessive salt loss via perspiration.
Your cystic fibrosis may induce other health issues or complications, like:
- clubbing
- diabetes
- gallstones
- pancreatitis
- liver disease
- osteoporosis
- nasal polyps
- rectal prolapse
- intestinal blockage
- collapsed lung ~ pneumothorax
No cure yet for cystic fibrosis, but its treatments have drastically improved. An upshot of these improvements is that CF sufferers average lifespan now stretches beyond 35 years old.
Three major components for survival are food, water and oxygen.Cystic fibrosis strikes out against all three. As such, treatment involves diet, exercise, phlegm extraction, infection control and hydration.
Special attention to diet plays an integral role in managing cystic fibrosis in order to:
- provide adequate nutrition
- manage digestive problems
- improve growth and development
- help development of & strengthen lung
- strengthen immune system for fighting infections
Nutritional therapy requires a balanced diet, rich in calories, fat and protein. In addition, your doctor might:
- prescribe oral pancreatic enzymes
- recommend vitamin A, D, E, and K supplements
- recommend use of a feeding tube to add calories during sleep
Other cystic fibrosis treatments include:
- oxygen therapy ~ blood level oxygen too low
- chest physical therapy ~ dislodge lung mucus
- antibiotics ~ prevent and control lung infections
- aerobic exercise ~ loosen thick, sticky lung phlegm
- mucus-thinning drugs ~ reduce the mucus stickiness
- bronchodilators ~ relax the muscles around the airways
- anti-inflammatory steroid medication ~ reduce lung inflammation
The must do’s for cystic fibrosis are:
- eat a healthy diet
- wash hands often
- exercise frequently
- drink plenty of fluids
- avoid tobacco smoke
- have annual/appropriate vaccinations
Any of these your doctor recommends that you don’t do, well then don’t!
