1. Cystic fibrosis, one of the most frequent and serious genetic
diseases, CF affects the exocrine glands and is characterized by the production
of abnormal secretions, leading to mucous build-up.
This accumulation of mucus can impair the pancreas and, secondarily, the intestine.
Mucous build-up in lungs tends progressively to impair respiration. Without treatment,
CF results in death for 95% of affected children before age 5. However, with diligent
medical care patients with CF are surviving even beyond middle age.
Early diagnosis of CF is of great importance. Early and continuing treatment
of CF is essential for long-term survival. However, as more people with CF survive
childhood, new problems are emerging. For example, 68% of 75 adult women with CF
reported leakage of urine within the past year. Coughing, sneezing, laughing and
airway clearance provoked the leakage, which was worse when their chest disease
was most severe.
CF is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner and affects both boys and girls.
One in 400 white couples is at risk for having children with CF and their risk with
each pregnancy is 1 in 4, so (multiplying 1 in 400 times 1 in 4) the overall risk
that their child will have CF is 1 in 1600. Note that once a couple has had a CF
child, the risk that each of their subsequent children will have CF drops to 1 in
4 (25%).
The treatment of CF includes physical therapy to loosen the mucus in the lungs,
pancreatic enzymes, and medications to fight dangerous infections of the lungs.
CF is caused by mutations in a gene called CFTR (for the cystic fibrosis conductance
regulator), which is located on chromosome 7.
medical
dictionary, online medical dictionary, medical
terminology dictionary, free online medical
dictionary, medical dictionary, online medical
dictionary, medical terminology dictionary, free
online medical dictionary, dictionary medical,
dictionary medical online, dictionary medical
terminology, dictionary free medical online,
dictionary free medical, dictionary medical
terms, dictionary drug medical medicine,
dictionary health illustrated medical nursing
profession stedmans, dictionary English medical,
dictionary medical online terminology,
dictionary encyclopedia medical online,
condition dictionary medical, dictionary
medical, dictionary drug medical, medical
dictionary software, cyclopedic dictionary index
medical tabers thumb, medical dictionary, online
medical dictionary, medical terminology
dictionary
