Cystic Fibrosis Research
Cystic fibrosis is a disease that may affect every organ in the body and is a hereditary disease that is the result of certain enzymes missing in the body that are necessary for digestion. Although many other organs of the body may be affected by cystic fibrosis, the gastro intestinal tract and the lungs are the major areas that are involved. This is a disease that leads to more deaths among white people than any other ailment in the United States, and it affects one in every 2500 whites and one in every 17.000 blacks.
Symptoms become noticeable in babies when weight gain is significantly below normal. This is due to the missing enzymes necessary in digestion. Breathing is normal at birth but an abnormal condition of the lungs and breathing could begin anytime. Therapy must be provided for the young, which falls upon the adults or parents and consists primarily in proper nutrition, physical activity, psychological, and social support. This disease is complex and the parents should learn everything they can to be able to give the proper support to the young people affected. As the children grow, they should also get all the information possible to be able to function in this condition. There are many web sites that have comprehensive information and advice on this disease and of course the doctor will provide guidance as well. There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, but there has been much research and new treatments that are developing. A few years ago the life expectancy in cystic fibrosis was only in the twenty’s and thirties, but now it is expected to be in the late forty's.
There are many treatments necessary and now available and the most important are that food supplements must be taken with every meal to supply the missing enzymes necessary for proper digestion. People with cystic fibrosis need a vigorous chest massage daily which can given by adults in the family and later the affected person will be able to do it without help. All chest diseases and conditions that affect the person should be promptly given antibiotics. Glyconutrient supplements have been helpful for many people with cystic fibrosis. There are a wide range of treatments for cystic fibrosis, but the disease is so complex that the proper treatment should be outlined by the doctor or health specialist who is familiar with every symptom and condition of the patient so that the most effective treatment may be given.
