What is cystic fibrosis
April 4, 2009
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that involves the mucus and sweat glands. It is a fatal disease that commonly affects the lungs, intestines, sinuses, pancreas, liver and sex organs. Normally, mucus is watery in constitution.
The major function of mucus is to keep the inner linings of certain organs moist. This moisture prevents the concerned body parts from getting dried and infected.
But in people who are affected with Cystic fibrosis, some abnormality in the gene makes the mucus thick and sticky. The thick mucus inhibits the free passage of the air through the respiratory tract.
As the different airways get blocked, lung infections are likely since the respiratory tracts serves as a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Gradually, these infections cause severe damage to the lungs and its efficiency gets hindered.The thick mucus also blocks the pancreatic duct.
This blockage prevents the digestive enzymes produced within the pancreas from reaching the small intestine. With out the presence of these enzymes, breaking down of the food materials that have reached the small intestine becomes extremely difficult. The result of this disorder is the inefficient absorption of the vital proteins and beneficial fats.
This makes the nutrients leave the body unabsorbed and the person becomes malnourished. Intestinal gas is characterized by swollen belly and general pain or discomfort. The affected person falls deficient in many vital nutrients such as vitamin A, D, E, and K .
Another after effect of this gene abnormality is extremely salty sweat. Large amounts of salt get expired from your body as you sweat. The mineral balance of blood gets upset by this phenomenon. The imbalance can also lead to result in heat emergency.
Another major problem caused by cystic fibrosis is that it leads to infertility in men. However, the manifested symptoms of cystic fibrosis vary from one individual to another. Respiratory failure is the most common feature found in all Cystic fibrosis patients.
St.Botanica Cosmetics
Recent Articles
Follow acupressure to get rid of pain
What do you do when you suffer from pains and aches in your body? You might go to a doctor for an injection or you might take some painkillers or apply some pain balm or spray
What your tongue tells about your health
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. This may sound metaphorical and you may have come across such sayings on tongue
How to tackle wisdom teeth problems
Wisdom teeth usually appear when you are 17-25 years old. These are the last set of teeth to appear. Sometimes people older than 30 years develop wisdom teeth
What causes teeth discoloration
Teeth discoloration is quite evident in humans. On discoloration teeth becomes yellow, pale, discolored and even stained. There are many factors that affect tooth discoloration
How to tackle bad breath
How often have you felt that people step back from you when you talk to them or somebody commented on your bad breath? If you have felt so, you are suffering from bad breath (halitosis)
