Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the skin and bowels. The symptoms and possible complications of people with this disorder are:

• very salty-tasting skin

• persistent coughing, at times with phlegm

• frequent lung infections

• wheezing or shortness of breath

• poor growth or weight gain in spite of a good appetite

• frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movement

30,000 people in the United States have Cystic Fibrosis, and 70,00 people worldwide. Children and adolescents are most vulnerable to the disease. People that had cystic fibrosis used to die young, but now, with new treatments, they live into their 30's, 40's, and beyond, though the median age is 37.

At the molecular level, there is a mutated gene. For example, genes G542X, G551D, N1303K, W1282X, and ΔF508. The gene mutation ΔF508, the most common mutation involved in Cystic Fibrosis, is a deletion of three nucleotides.

Though there is no known cure for Cystic Fibrosis, a good nutrition and active lifestyle can help. Knowing this, I am sympathetic to people with Cystic Fibrosis. With the median mortality being 37 years old, that does not seem like a very long- or comfortable- lifetime. I hope that in the future, there is a cure for this dreadful genetic disorder.

Source:
Wikipedia.org