Cystic Fibrosis

Essay by torie1597High School, 12th gradeA-, December 2014

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Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is the second most common inherited disorder occurring in kids in the United States today. It is a life-long disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system. More than 10 million Americans carry the defective Cystic Fibrosis gene without knowing (Gibbons). One in every twenty people is a carrier. The ethnic group that has the highest risk of inheriting Cystic Fibrosis is Caucasians, whereas Asian Americans have the lowest risk of developing the disorder. The symptoms of the disorder are never the same for everyone. They depend on the severity of the disorder, and can get increasingly worse over time. Doctors use many methods in order to diagnose Cystic Fibrosis, and there are many treatments and airway clearance techniques available to the patients. These treatments ease the symptoms of the disorder. Diagnosing and treating Cystic Fibrosis has improved rapidly over the years, and doctors have developed new treatments to help expand patient's lives.

Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disease that affects the cells in the epithelium that produce mucus, sweat, and digestive juices. Instead of the mucus, sweat and the digestive juices lining organs, they become thick and sticky and block passageways within the body. People who inherit Cystic Fibrosis get two faulty genes, one from their mother, and one from their father ("Cystic Fibrosis"). Mutations from the Cystic Fibrosis genes make a protein cystic fibrosis trans-membrane regulator, CFTR, which causes the chloride ions to function incorrectly. This disrupts the essential balance of salt and water needed to maintain a normal coating of mucus which affects the lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, sinuses, and sex organs. Almost 1,400 different mutations of the CF gene can lead to Cystic Fibrosis (Goldman). The most common inherited gene is Delta F508, which is...