Cystic Fibrosis A passage dated as far back as 1857 in the ‘Almanac of Children’s Songs and Games from Switzerland’ cautioned that ‘the child will soon die whose forehead tastes salty when kissed’. This theory was proven by Paul di Sant’Agnese in 1953 when he discovered that the salt content of victims of cystic fibrosis sweat was significantly high. With the sweat test being created out of this discovery, the invasive methods of diagnosing people with cystic fibrosis has been replaced and is continuously used as the cornerstone for diagnosing this disease. Dr. Dorothy Andersen began the modern history of cystic fibrosis in 1938 when he described the first clear description of this horrendous disease. He was a pathologist in the New York Babies Hospital. Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation Trust was established in 1964 as a charity for raising funds for research. This foundation was only one of the many national cystic fibrosis organizations that was established during the Sixties. Research from the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation Trust resulted in life expectancies to grow for people with cystic fibrosis. More funds were accumulated and went to support clinical care of cystic fibrosis centres. During this time, in the 1980’s, the name was shortened to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Professor Lap-Chi Tsui, Dr. Fancis Collins and Professor Jack Riordan discovered the exact faulty gene that was responsible for CF in 1985 after cystic fibrosis was narrowed down to chromosome 7. Chromosome 7 was called the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). This discovery was one of the most important discoveries for cystic fibrosis research! In the 1990’s, it was discovered that there was dangers of cross-infection among... ... middle of paper ... ...ucus to loosen from your lungs so that it could be coughed up. An inflatable therapy vest that uses high-frequency airwaves that push the mucus from the depths of your lungs toward your upper airway to cough up. There are many more similar tools that help dislodge mucus to be coughed up. In some instances, lung transplants may be required after an evaluation is done by a CF care team. Works Cited https://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/about-cf/what-is-cystic-fibrosis/history-of-cf.aspx http://www.medicinenet.com/cystic_fibrosis/article.htm http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cf/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystic_fibrosis http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cystic-fibrosis/basics/symptoms/con-20013731 http://www.medicinenet.com/cystic_fibrosis/page6.htm#how_is_cystic_fibrosis_treated http://www.cff.org/Mobile/livingwithCF/lungtransplants/
Membranes are involved in Cystic Fibrosis when it comes to the genes that are prone to the disease. In a regular functioning body, the CFTR gene helps make the channel that transports charged chloride ions into and out of cell membranes. In a body with cystic fibrosis, the chloride channels don’t function properly, and do not allow chloride ions into and out of the cell membranes, causing the thick mucus (as mentioned earlier) to be produced. The concentration gradients are involved when it comes to moving these molecules and ions across the cell membranes with passive and active transport. Passive transport substances move down concentration gradients while active transport substances move against their concentration gradients (keep in mind this is in a healthy functioning body). With cystic fibrosis, there is a defect in the transport protein, which does not move through the concentration gradient
CF is a chronic condition therefore the patients are either seeking medical attention or receiving (sometime involuntarily) a great deal of medical scrutiny and intervention during their lifetime.
Along with the problems of chronic illnesses themselves, many other problems may come. Treatments and medications are just the beginning of things when it comes to problems with illnesses. With cystic fibrosis, you start out with a high number of medications and treatments to begin with. The older you get and the worse your condition gets, the more you take. (“Psychological impact,” n.d.) Many struggles come along with taking these medications and treatments. When children are first diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, they are typically very young. From the beginning, there are many medications and treatments that needed to be taken and done. Sometimes, trying to get children to take medications and treatments is like pulling teeth. The medications for cystic fibrosis are extremely important. If cystic fibrosis patients miss medica...
In the Shadow of Illness, the book describes different experiences of families who have or had children with cystic fibrosis (CF). CF is an inherited disease that is passed on from the mother or father who is a carrier, but doesn’t have the condition. Doctors have figured that in this scenario, the parents are likely to have a child with CF. Individuals with CF have to take Cotazymes to help the pancreas digest food. If the person does not take these enzymes, the food goes straight through them as diarrhea. Also, the person’s lungs are affected by a thick mucus that must be removed or thinned before it clogs. Doctors recommend the patient to perform daily breathing exercises that prevent the mucus from thickening; for example, swimming
Haas, D. F. (1990). The Chronic Bronchitis And EMPHYSEMA. New York,NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common lethal mutations in humans. The autosomal recessive allele is carried by 1/20 Caucasians, 1/400 couples will have children with the disease, and ¼ children will be afflicted. If untreated, 95% of affected ch ildren will die before age five (Bell, 1996).
Those who have relatives diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis are at an automatic increased risk to have the disease. For example, in order for a child to have cystic fibrosis, their parents must be carriers of the CF gene. “One CF gene fr...
Berkowitz, Carol. American Academy of Pediatrics: Dedicated to the Health of all Children. American Academy of Pediatrics. 8 Dec. 2004
Fibromyalgia is not a new disease that has just surfaced, it has been around for a long time, it just didn’t have a name and was not recognized for what it truly was. It was...
Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disease characterized by the buildup of thick, sticky mucous that can cause severe damage to the body’s organs. Mucous is usually a slippery substance that lubricates and protects the linings of the airway, digestive system, reproductive system and other organs and tissue. Problems with digestion can lead to diarrhea, malnutrition, poor growth, and weight-loss. Due to the abnormally thick mucous it can can clog airways, leading to breathing problems and bacterial infections in the lungs. Bacterial infections can lead to coughing, wheezing and inflammation. Overtime these infections can lead to permanent damage in the lungs including the formation of scar tissue, known as fibrosis and cysts in the lungs (Genetics Home Reference, 2013). The symptoms and signs of this disease vary but mostly include progressive damage to the respiratory system and chronic digestive system problems. An individuals’ lungs who are infected by cystic fibrosis have bacteria from an early stage. This bacteria can spread to the small airways, leading to the formation of bacterial micro-environments known as biofilms. Biofilms are difficult for antibodies to penetrate, therefore the bacteria repeatedly damage the lung and gradually remodel the airways, resulting in difficultly to eradicate the infection (Welsh, 1995). Cystic fibrosis patients may even have their airways chronically colonized be filamentous fungi and/or yeasts. Most men with cystic fibrosis have congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD), a condition in which the tubes that carry sperm are blocked by mucous and do not develop properly. As well, women may experience complications in pregnancy. Either the c...
Silverman, Michael, ed. Childhood Asthma and Other Wheezing Disorders. 2nd ed. London: Arnold, 2002. Print.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is preventable disease that has a detrimental effects on both the airway and lung parenchyma (Nazir & Erbland, 2009). COPD categorises emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which are characterised by a reduced maximum expiratory flow and slow but forced emptying of the lungs (Jeffery 1998). The disease has the one of the highest number of fatalities in the developed world due to the ever increasing amount of tobacco smokers and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014). Signs and symptoms that indicate the presence of the disease include a productive cough, wheezing, dyspnoea and predisposing risk factors (Edelman et al., 1992). The diagnosis of COPD is predominantly based on the results of a lung function assessment (Larsson, 2007). Chronic bronchitis is differentiated from emphysema by it's presentation of a productive cough present for a minimum of three months in two consecutive years that cannot be attributed to other pulmonary or cardiac causes (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014) (Viegi et al., 2007). Whereas emphysema is defined pathologically as as the irreversible destruction without obvious fibrosis of the lung alveoli (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014) (Veigi et al., 2007).It is common for emphysema and chronic bronchitis to be diagnosed concurrently owing to the similarities between the diseases (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014).
The authority is who the author is and whether their contact information, credentials, qualifications and affiliations are provided (Metzger, 2010). The CDC was founded in 1946 signifying many years of experience as a well-known organization. The leadership information of the organization is available. All members and ...
Chronic bronchitis is a disorder that causes inflammation to the airway, mainly the bronchial tubules. It produces a chronic cough that lasts three consecutive months for more than two successive years (Vijayan,2013). Chronic Bronchitis is a member of the COPD family and is prominently seen in cigarette smokers. Other factors such as air pollutants, Asbestos, and working in coal mines contributes to inflammation. Once the irritant comes in contact with the mucosa of the bronchi it alters the composition causing hyperplasia of the glands and producing excessive sputum (Viayan,2013). Goblet cells also enlarge to contribute to the excessive secretion of sputum. This effects the cilia that carry out the mechanism of trapping foreign bodies to allow it to be expelled in the sputum, which are now damaged by the irritant making it impossible for the person to clear their airway. Since the mechanism of airway clearance is ineffective, the secretion builds up a thickened wall of the bronchioles causing constriction and increasing the work of breathing. The excessive build up of mucous could set up pneumonia. The alveoli are also damaged enabling the macrophages to eliminate bacteria putting the patient at risk for acquiring an infection.
For example, scientists routinely use the Scientific Method, which was developed thousands of years ago, as a result of personal experiments which were shared. Technically, the Scientific Method is simply a constructive method of trial and error. Through variations within this method, new discoveries have been made which have ultimately shaped the personal knowledge of each individual scientist, as well as the general public. Furthermore, as these personal experiences have been shared throughout time with other individuals and the public, they have been transformed into shared knowledge. The treatment of asthma throughout the world and time is an example of how shared knowledge shapes personal knowledge (Crosta). Asthma’s unbiased nature has resulted in the disease affecting people of all ages and different backgrounds, which has resulted in several different treatment methods from around the world. In texts created as early as 460 BC, asthma was used as a medical term concerning the breathing of an individual. Initially, the goal of methods used throughout the world was to ultimately cure the disease. For example, in ancient Greece, owl blood was consumed as a treatment for asthma (Crosta). Ancient Egyptians were known to utilize camel and crocodile droppings as asthma treatment. One of the most ironic treatments was the use of smoke inhalation