Cystic Fibrosis is one of the most common fatal genetic diseases in the United States, which is inherited through a recessive allele. The disorder affects the respiratory, pancreatic and digestive systems because of extraneous mucus. Thankfully, in the last three decades, many technological advances have led to treatments that greatly increase the chance of surviving CF into adulthood. .
Cystic Fibrosis causes the body to produce heavy, sticky mucus that blocks airways and clogs the pancreas. Breathing and digestion problems, chronic infections, and eventually death ensue. A defect on the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene, a protein that manages the flow pf chloride ions in and out of the cell, causes CF, and since 1989, over two hundred more defects have been described in CF research. Any two of these defects can combine to cause varying severity in those affected with CF. About one in thirty-nine hundred newborns are born with the disease, (other sources state one in twenty-five hundred) and about thirty thousand Americans and thirty-three hundred Canadians currently have CF. Meanwhile, about one in thirty-one Americans and one in twenty-five Canadians carry the gene linked to Cystic Fibrosis. CF is also more common in Caucasian and Jewish ethnic groups. One in thirty-three hundred white babies are born with CF, while only one in fifteen thousand - three hundred black babies are affected with the disease. Symptoms of this disorder begin during infancy or early childhood and may include: meconium ileus (intestinal blockage in newborns), bulky feces, poor growth and weight gain, soft muscle tone, all due to a lack of digestive enzymes. Most children exhibit coughing, wheezing, or airway infections, causing them to see the doctor. Teenagers with CF enter puberty later than the average teen and grow slowly. Adult males suffer low sperm counts and females suffer low fertility and are more likely to have pregnancy and birth complications.
