Cystic Fibrosis Awareness

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Cystic fibrosis, also known as CF, affects over 30,000 children and adults world-wide. CF is a disease in the lungs and digestive system and is still incurable today. It is a disease that causes thick, abnormal mucus in the lungs, nasal polyps, fatigue, and can also damage organs in a person’s body. According to www.cff.org/aboutcf, over 70% of CF patients are diagnosed at two years of age. Cystic fibrosis is one of the most life-threatening diseases in the United States and is very common amongst chronic diseases. Cystic fibrosis is most commonly diagnosed in young children and sometimes adults. I have been dealing with cystic fibrosis my entire life because my fourteen year old brother was diagnosed with it when he was born. He was in the hospital several days after his birth and as a baby, and was in and out of the hospital constantly. He still visits the doctor every few months for checkups and pulmonary exams. In the nineteen-fifties, people with CF didn’t live long enough to attend their first year of schooling. Now in the modern era, patients can live up to their thirties or forties if they’re lucky, but will more than likely lead to death due to lung complications later on down the road. Some of the symptoms of a CF patient are salty-tasting skin, constant coughing, frequent lung infections, wheezing and breathing problems, low immune system and growth, and malfunctions in the digestive system. Some people may go years without showing any symptoms of CF but do have the disease. Most people are diagnosed by two years of age and some may not be diagnosed until later in their lifetime (around the age of 18). Newborns born with cystic fibrosis may not have any signs of a bowel movement within the first 24-48 hours of their li... ... middle of paper ... ...rican Lung Association, 2014. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. "Cystic Fibrosis." Definition. Mayo Clinic Staff, 13 June 2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. "Cystic Fibrosis Symptoms, Treatment, Life Expectancy, Genes, Testing - MedicineNet." MedicineNet. Medicine Net, 1996. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. Izenberg, Neil, MD. "KidsHealth Cystic Fibrosis." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. The Nemours Foundation, 1995. Web. 02 Mar. 2014 Schoenstadt, Arthur, MD. "Treatment for Cystic Fibrosis." EMedTV: Health Information Brought To Life. Clinearo, Inc., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. "Sign in." Cystic Fibrosis and Your Baby. March of Dimes Foundation, 2014. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. "Pulmonology." Riley Hopsital for Children. IUHealth, Riley Childrens Hospital, 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. "What Is Cystic Fibrosis?" - NHLBI, NIH. National Institutes of Health, 26 Dec. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.

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