| Home » 2009 » November » Tuesday the 24th » Cystic Fibrosis in Children |
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease due to a defective gene passed from each parent. About 1 in 29 American Caucasians mostly of Northern or Central European lineage carry the CF gene.
One thousand expressions or more of the defective gene exist, causing CF to be different in each person, as well as signs and symptoms. Statistics show most diagnosis occur by two years of age. Where as milder expressions of CF may be diagnosed in kids as old as age eighteen. Cystic Fibrosis is a disease of excessively thick, sticky, or ropey mucus produced in the lungs, which impairs the respiratory system. In addition, mucous accumulates in the pancreas, which reduces the ability to utilize and process food. Early detection with a CF screening blood test in neonates is now standard in many states. The test requires a drop of baby’s blood obtained by pricking his heal. A drop of blood applied to filter paper is all that is needed for testing. When high levels of the pancreatic enzyme, immunoreactive trypsinogen, abbreviated IRT, result from the screen, CF is suspected. To confirm the IRT results a standard Sweat Chloride Test for CF measures salt in sweat. Signs of CF in neonates are lack of bowel movements 24 to 48 hours after birth. Babies and children might experience nutritional problems exhibited by abdominal distention, pain, flatulence, or constipation. Mucousy, foul smelling feces with pale-clay coloring, and may float in water are common. The poor absorption of nutrients results in slow growth during infancy and childhood.Today a comprehensive treatment regime of primarily nutrition, enzyme replacements, antibiotics and respiratory therapy are such that children are mostly healthy up to adolescents. Lung complications begin in the teen years. Life expectancies today reach to thirty-five years. Read more on the official site for Cystic Fibrosis http://www.cff.org/ |
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