Cystic Fibrosis Symptoms
Cystic fibrosis also called fibrocystic disease of the pancreas,
mucoviscidosis, causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs, leads to infection, and blocks the pancreas, which stops digestive enzymes from reaching the intestine where they are required in order to digest food.
CF has a variety of symptoms, including very salty-tasting skin, a persistent cough and excessive appetite but poor weight gain. The
sweat test - which measures the amount of salt in sweat - is the standard diagnostic
test for those with symptoms. A high salt level indicates CF.
Symptoms of Cystic fibrosis can vary, depending on the severity of the disease. For example, one child with
Cystic fibrosis may have respiratory problems but not digestive problems, while another child may have both. In addition, the symptoms of CF may vary with age.
In some newborns the first sign may be a blockage of the intestines. This occurs when meconium,
tarry, greenish-black stools normally passed by an infant in the first day or two after birth,
becomes so thick it can't move through the intestines. Other signs in newborns may include a failure to grow, bulky and greasy stools,
steatorrhea, and frequent respiratory infections.
Symptoms of Cystic fibrosis in children and young adults may include:
- Thick sputum. It's easy for parents to overlook this
symptom because infants and young children tend to swallow their sputum
rather than cough it up.
- Salty taste to the skin. People with CF tend to have
two to five times the normal amount of salt (sodium chloride) in their
sweat. This may be one of the first signs parents notice because they taste
the salt when they kiss their child.
- Blockage in the bowel.
- Foul-smelling, greasy stools.
- Delayed growth.
- Coughing or wheezing.
- Frequent chest and sinus infections with recurring
pneumonia or bronchitis.
- Growths (polyps) in the nasal passages.
- Cirrhosis of the liver due to inflammation or
obstruction of the bile ducts.
- Displacement of one part of the intestine into another
part of the intestine, intussusception in children older than age 4.
- Protrusion of part of the rectum through the anus,
rectal prolapse. This is often caused by stools that are difficult to pass
or by frequent coughing.
- Enlargement or rounding, clubbing of the fingertips
and toes. Although clubbing eventually occurs in most people with CF, it
also occurs in some people born with heart disease and other types of lung
problems.
CF can cause you to become malnourished because the pancreatic enzymes needed for digestion don't reach your small intestine, preventing food from being absorbed. As a result, you may need many more calories than you otherwise would.
Due to advances in medical treatment, the median life expectancy of a newborn
with cystic fibrosis increased from 4 years in the 60s to 32 years today. These
procedures include the intake of digestion
enzymes, nutritional supplements, percussion and postural drainage of the
lungs, improved antibiotics and inhalation of aerosols containing medication. A
few attempts at gene therapy were initially successful, but failed to produce
acceptable long-term results. Cystic
Fibrosis Symptoms to C
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