Cystic Fibrosis Research Paper

Cystic fibrosis is a disease many have heard of, but not many actually know what it all entails. The article “About Cystic Fibrosis,” describes it as, “a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time” (n.d.). This causes thick mucus buildup not only in the lungs but also in other organs as well such as the pancreas. Because of this build up, bacteria becomes trapped in the patients’ airways, which leads to infections, lung damage, and can even cause respiratory failure. The occurrence in the pancreas causes certain enzymes from being released and used in the body during digestion (“About Cystic Fibrosis,” n.d.). Clearly, this is a very serious disease that requires a lot

A person is either a carrier of the defective CF gene, not a carrier of the CF gene, or will have cystic fibrosis. If a person has cystic fibrosis that means that the defective CF gene was received from each parent. If a person does not have two defective CF genes but does have one defective CF gene then he/she is a carrier of cystic fibrosis. There are more than seventy thousand people leaving with this disease worldwide, and most are diagnosed by the age of just two (“About Cystic Fibrosis,” n.d.). That is a very large population so as a nurse it is beneficial to know what this disease is and how and why it

Patients must have a high-calorie, high-fat diet, and take vitamin and mineral supplements along with enzyme replacement therapy in a lot of situations because they are not getting the enzymes they need to absorb nutrients. These patients need this particular kind of diet because they require more energy to breathe properly, to fight infections or prevent them, and to aid in poor digestion. Muscle mass is often lost when one has this disease so high protein is needed to maintain a normal weight and body mass index (“Getting Your Nutrients,” n.d.). Nutrition is key in keeping these clients