Cystic Fibrosis: An Overview

Introduction

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that ultimately leads to death. It affects every racial group worldwide, but its prevalence varies from country to country. In those with cystic fibrosis, the lungs and digestive system are primarily affected by the disease. With the new developments in treatment and management, the 50 percent survival rate from the 1970’s has greatly improved, allowing patients to continue to live their lives longer than ever expected in the past. The new developments in prevention of exacerbations, therapy drugs and methods to preserve lung function have done great things to help patients extend their lives. Education is another important aspect of treating cystic fibrosis. For example, more the patient knows about the disease and the benefits of the treatment, the more likely he, or she, is to comply with their recommended therapy. Though the treatment can be very costly and time consuming, it gives cystic fibrosis patients the opportunity to go to school, have jobs and even have families. These are normal events that go with aging that many cystic fibrosis patients may never have been able to dream of experiencing.

Prevalence

Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease. It is seen mainly in the Caucasian population, with 1 in 3,000 Caucasians having cystic fibrosis, but does affect every racial group. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry, as of 2008, there were 30,000 patients with cystic fibrosis in the United States. Keeping this in mind, there are approximately 1,000 patients newly diagnosed with cystic fibrosis each year. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation also estimates that there are approximately 70,000 children and adults with cystic fibrosis wo...

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